Paper Covers, 25 Centfe. 

" with Map, .">() '' f 

Clotb " '' " 75 

Sent by mail post paid. 

Liberal discount to thp fr«rla 



t — ■ ; — ^ 

||topi:a.aL..|opurisw|o $ 

I jMej^.m2. J 



i UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. { 



M b,__Page 71— Change line ten from bottom so as to 
read: Any rate of 'interest agreed upon is legal in Texas. 
When no rate is agreed upon, the statute fixes it at 8 per 



cent. 



V 



J 



V 



o.mi.^' 







ITS 



DIVISIONS, RESOUKCES, 



Development and 'Prospe:cts. 




WM. BRADY, 




HOUSTON, TEXAS, 
1S71 



TO THE READER. 



The constant demand for information relative to tlie soil, 
climate, prodncts, price of lands, &c., in Texas, has prompt- 
ed the preparation of this hook. Especially have these in- 
quiries been directed to the condition of things near Hous- 
ton, the great Railroad Centre. This book is designed as a 
convenient means of answering such inquiries. 

Care and attention have been devoted to its subject mat- 
ter and arrangement, and we are indebted to several friends 
in Houston for assistance in the preparation of the materuU. 
We have aimed at facts, and not at fancy, and labored to 
produce a book that will not be without interest to the peo- 
ple of our State, while it will fnrnish in a condensed form 
information of a desirable character to such as may contem- 
plate making their future home in Texas. 

WM. BRADY. 
HovsTOX, Texas, March, 1871. 



v.- 



---^^^-^^i^^^^^r:^-^'^^:^^^'^-"^"^' 



i^. C. GRAY k CO., PRINTERS. HOUSTON. 



GLIMPSES OF TEXAS. 



TEXAS INVITES IMMIGRATION. 

Texas extends from the 26tli to the 36th parallel of north 
latitude, and lies between the 16th and 30th meridians of 
longitude west from Washington. It embraces an expanse 
of country that reaches within one-half degree as far south 
as the most southerly limit of Florida, while its northern 
boundary is on the same parallel as the northern boundary 
of Tennessee. A section of country so located, must neces- 
sarily comprise within its limits every desirable variety of 
soil and climate. The substantial cereals of the northerly 
sections of the United States ; the best fruits and products 
of the Middle States, and many of the fruits of the tropics, 
flourish in Texas. In point of climate, the thermometer 
never ranges as high as in the latitudes north of us. For 
the past twenty years the thermometer at Houston has 
never shown a temperature above 95° F., whilst at but one 
time, in the coldest weather, has it reached as low as 
10°, and rarely indeed does it go below 20°. Never has 
there been a case of sunstroke in this city, and but one is 
now remembered in Galveston. The average of the ^'heated 
term," one year with another, for the 24 hours, is about 84°. 

The climate and seasons are eminently conducive to the 
production of sugar, corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, oats, 
rye, millet, all the vegetables of the garden, Irish potatoes, 
sweet potatoes, apples, peaches, pears, grapes, plums, etc. 



GLIMPSES OF lEXAS. 
4 

The soil varies in fertility according to location While 
the greater portion of the -untry - P-- ;^-\\-,^74at 
rolling, and its soil is as P^f ^^'^ "' "^ „„„anured 

„en., fee. i. thi.k~e», ..<1 a crop f ^ ™' °7ji'„ 

■porfili7pr«i are unknown. Ji^ven lue u^ 

In the wheat region the average production of wheat has 

rEirii'":iTpjr:-u=^^ 

This 60,000 square miles is capable itselt ot suppor g 

^T;:t:eafiralU:is°;:gion ripens in Ma. and e^n he 
halestid and sent to New York before the wheat crop of 

that State begins to i^^J^^^'^^X^X,,^ ,^, ,heat region. 

The cotton region IS ^^-^^^l^^^,, ^Ues of territory 

and embraces, ''f^'d^^' "«^"^f '^theJ The cotton crop, 

. not adapted to the P- -^ ^ .f jj^:^,, his own labor, is 

raised by the owner of he soil, ana 

a« profitable - -y crop in t e co i^.y. ^^^^^^^^^ ^„, .^,^, 

been raised to the hand ten bales i= 

n,ay be considered a fair average, "^l^f^.^^,, year, and 

crops. Cotton is worth sixty dollar a b^^^*^- /^^^ ^^. 

that is considerably less than last yea • W th mp ^^^ 



TEA^AS INVITES IMMIGRATION. ^ 

The crop of the State in 1869 was about 450,000 bales. 
For 1870 it is about half a million. The population of the 
State is about one million. The export value of the cotton 
crop alone is over thirty-five dollars for every inhabitant ; 
and when to this is added sugar, beef, hides, wool, etc., it 
will amount to near fifty dollars to the inhabitant. What 
other State, North or South, East or West, can make such 
a showing for its agriculture ? 

What shall we say of the gardens ? Tomatoes, seven 
months in the year in the open air 5 beets the year round ; 
beans nine months ; new potatoes in May, June, July, No- 
vember and December ,• and strawberries at least during one 
half the year. 

These are but a few of the inducements Texas offers to 
the immigrant. We do not mention stock raising, by which 
such vast fortunes have been made; nor wool, which can be 
produced at a cost of only seven cents per pound 5 nor wine 
from native grapes, of which millions of barrels now mature 
and decay untouched each year. To recite the list of pro- 
ductions open to the enterprising agriculturist, would require 
far too much space. Special mention will be made of staple 
productions further along. 

Notwithstanding the immense influx of people from the 
older States, for the past two years, lands are still abundant 
in the market, and obtainable at lower rates than in any 
other State in the Union. So wide an area will be long in 
filling up, and not until our census shows several millions 
of people, may we look to see choice lands difficult to obtain. 

Texas invites the honest yeomanry of the seaboard States, 
as well as of the North and West, to come and occupy her 
soil. We need men who, having been good citizens all their 
lives, will be good citizens here. We need men accus- 
tomed to obey the laws. We need the muscle and skill 
of the Eastern and Northern farmer, accustomed to dig his 
living out of an unwilling soil, to bring our rich lands to 
their capacity. Texas willingly and readily offers a home 



6 GLIMPSES OF TEXAS. 

and encouragement to the emigrant from Europe, desirous 
of engaging in either agricultural or mechanical pursuits. 
We offer a home and field for enterprise to the Southern 
farmer, far surpassing anything to be found east of the 
Mississippi. To all good men, of whatever religion or pol- 
itics or nationality, a hearty welcome is extended. 

Our population in 1850 was upwards of 200,000, in 1860 
it exceeded 600,000, and the census of 1870 should show, 
notwithstanding the ravages of the war, a population of at 
least one million souls. The returns of the population of 
Texas are not in our possession, but we feel sure that we do 
not over estimate our inhabitants, and can only wish that 
our people could be accurately enumerated, which, consid- 
ering the sparseness of our population, and the inaccessibil- 
ity of some of the remote portions of our State, is at present 
a difficult matter. 

In 1850 there were thirty States in the American Union, 
and Texas ranked the 26th in population, there being only 
four States less populous. In 1860 there were 32 States in 
the Union, and Texas had advanced to the 20th position, 
leaving twelve less populous. In 1870 there were 87 States 
in the Union. At the time that we write this, the census 
returns have not been published, but we doubt not that they 
will show that Texas ranks as the 12th or 13th State of the 
Union, leaving more than a score of States outstripped by 
her in the race of progress. 

By 1880, if her present rate of gain is continued — she is 
increasing now much more rapidly than ever — she will out- 
rank them all, except New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and 
Illinois. She will stand the Fifth most powerful State in the 
American Union. By 1890 she will doubtless be the most 
populous of the United States. 

Her voice will be potential in making Presidents and 
Cabinets, and shaping measures for the government of the 
whole country. 



TE.VA S TNVTTES IMMIGRA TIOX. 7 

Politically she is now inconsiderable, as she counts only 
six in the national councils ; but how rapidly the day 
advances when she will be the most courted and flattered 
of all the States ! 

She extends a hearty welcome to good people everywhere 
to come and be sharers in her great destiny. 

If you desire to engage in the cultivation of the soil, she 
offers you millions of acres of inexhaustible fertility, 
and a climate so genial that farming operations may be 
conducted through every day of the year. The products 
of her soil are the united staples of all the other States of 
the Union. Cotton, corn, sugar, wheat, rice, tobacco, all 
flourish on her broad bosom. 

Let the farmer choose his favorite crop. She is ready to 
yield him abundant return if he does half his duty to her 
fertile soil. 

If you wish to raise stock, she offers you boundless natu- 
ral pastures, covered all the year with the richest grasses, 
upon which your horses, cattle and sheep may roam and 
grow fat at will, giving you no trouble but to herd them 
occasionally, and put upon them the mark of your ovrner- 
ship. 

If you wish to engage in commerce, there is, perhaps, no 
country that offers you a more inviting field. 

If you wish to engage'in manufactures, she offers you an 
Empire eager to buy the productsof your skill and industry. 

Such is the land ; the land of plenty, and the land of 
promise ; the land of breadstuffs, and the land of provisions; 
the land of forest, and the land of prairie ; the land of fruits, 
and the land of flowers; that offers a home that will be, in 
name and in fact, a sanctuary to all who accept it, and that 
extends a cordial invitation"* and an earnest greeting to all 
who wish to link their fate with hers. 

We cannot better 'conclude our representations of the 
desirability of Texas for emigrants, than with an extract 



8 GLIMPSES OF TEA'AS. 

from the report of a lecture delivered in the City of Hous 
ton, February 16th, 1871, by the Reverend Father Nugext, 
of Liverpool, who had visited this continent with a view 
to promoting emigration of the better class of me- 
chanics and farm laborers from England. The Reverend 
Father had traveled through Canada and some of the West- 
ern States before his attention was attracted to Texas. He 
made an extended tour through our State, and at Austin 
addressed our Legislature on Emigration, and the subjects 
connected therewith, and was listened to with marked atten- 
tion. In his Houston lecture, grouping together the sub- 
jects of Emigration from Europe, and the inviting features 
of Texas, the Reverend gentleman said : 

'^In Liverpool he was connected with several charitable in- 
stitutions where homeless children were educated. They 
were taught not only to read, but to work, and they left the 
school fitted for Avhatever positions they had been destined 
for. The boys were all taught trades, w^hile the girls were 
taught to wash, sew and do general housework, and were all 
trained servants. There was a superabundance of labor in 
England, and it was necessary to find employment for it 
abroad, and to perfect this object he was now in Texas mak- 
ing himself acquainted with the character of the country 
and the description of laborers and servants most desirable, 
in order that, on his return, he might assist those who would 
like to find a home in this part of the world. 

He found that all the larger cities of Canada and many of 
the Northern States, had organized Emigration Societies, 
and through them information had been disseminated 
throughout all Europe, letting the j^eople of the old world 
know the advantages of the new, the best way of getting 
there and the location of cheap lands after their arrival. The 
agents of these societies were not permitted to have any con- 
nection with land schemes, nor were they allowed to deri\o 
any benefit from the emigration they managed. By the 
means they afforded, thousands had been induced to settUi 
in tlie locations he had named. 

He had ])een induced to attend the great Emigration Con- 
vention at Indianapolis, but when he went there had no in- 
tention of visiting Texas. In fact, he knew nothing of Tex- 
as, and found it very difficult to obtain information. What 
little he could learn was not favorable. He had searched 



TF^A S IN VITEH IMMJGJRA HON. 9 

the book stalls for some work on Texas, but found none till 
his arrival in New Orleans, and his success then was confined 
to a Texas Almanac of 1869, and that was without the map. 
The people at the North told him the South was no place for 
emigrants, and that Texas, of all places, was to be avoided. 
It was represented as but a rebellious fragment of the United 
States, infested by all manner of noxious animals and pois- 
onous insects, open to the incursion of Indians, whose depre- 
dations were of daily occurrence, and where the six-shooter 
and the bowie knife were the only laws — that these were 
judge, jury and executioners. 

In England he had received a copy of a book professing 
to give information of the different States of America, but 
twenty lines was all the space devoted to Texas. 

Canada, Nebraska, Iowa, and other States and provinces 
had circulated thousands of books, and posters throughout 
Europe — but the great State of Texas was entirely unknown, 
or known only as he had described. It was needless to say 
that he found the people of the South, and of Texas espe- 
cially, had been misrepresented, and for that reason steps 
should be taken to circulate the truth amongst the nations 
of Europe, that a share of the emigration from the States of 
the old world might find its way here. 

He found here one of the richest and most productive 
countries on the globe. The fertility of the soil and advan- 
tages of the climate were unequaled, and it only required a 
sufficiency of skilled labor to make Texas one of the most de- 
sirable as well as the wealthiest country of the world. Millions 
of acres of land of unsurpassed fertility remained unproduc- 
tive for want of hands to till them, while in the countries of 
the old world there were millions of men, women and chil- 
dren who were living miserably for want of something to do. 
It was necessary that some plan should be devised by which 
this unemployed labor should be transplanted to this young 
and thriving country. Schemes of this character would ])e 
even more beneficial to their promoters than to those who 
availed themselves of the facilities offered for reaching these 
shores. 

The best capital that could l)e brought here would be 
strong arms and hands educated to tlie sort of labor required. 
To develop the latent resources of the country and make tlie 
now idle lands a source of revenue, it was necessary to in- 
troduce men and women to cultivate them, lleliable labor- 
ers were wanted — not men or women Avho would engage to 
do a thing one day and run away tl\e next. Generations 
would pass uwny before a surplus of lal)or couhl be feared iu 



10 ^ ^ TMPSKS F TE.YA S. 

this country, and it was a well known fact that the more 
labor the more money, and the more money the more trade. 

It was only necessary, in order to obtain the desired labor, 
to take the proper course. Englishmen had been taught to 
believe that white labor could not produce cotton. Hence 
the conclusion, that as white men could not, and the negroes 
would not raise cotton, it was necessary to look to India and 
Egypt for supplies for the mills of Europe. He had seen 
enough of Texas to convince him that the same amount of 
white labor would produce double the quantity of cotton as 
black, and the same was true of cereals of all kinds. In 
fltct, so marked was the contrast that he could, in passing 
along, distinguish plantations that were worked by the white 
people. 

White skilled labor of every kind was desirable; what was 
most wanted in the South was domestic servants — girls who 
had been trained to habits of neatness and cleanliness, and 
who could be intrusted with the management of a house- 
hold. There was an abundance of every article of food, but 
servants who had been taught how to prepare it, were scarce. 
Every family felt this want. Children were growing up who 
were dear to the hearts of their parents, and nurses and 
nurse girls were wanted who knew and felt their responsibil- 
ity, and in whose virtue and honesty a perfect confidence 
could be felt. There was one country in the integrity of 
whose daughters there was never a doubt. Old Ireland — 
the universe might be searched over and their equals not 
found. The sun in its course visited no brighter spot, and 
the honor of her sons and the virtue of her daughters were 
the pride and boast of that glorious old island. 

He had heard it urged that European labor was unreliable. 
The men who were brought over here, if industrious and 
economical, soon purchased places for themselves, and the 
girls, if tidy and good looking, were speedily married — small 
blame to them for doing that same. But even if these ob- 
jections were well founded, the State would still be largely 
the gainer. In this instance at least, the. individual loss 
would be the public gain, for each emigrant of sixteen years 
of age or over, was worth at least 81-300 to the State, and 
for that reason alone the State should assist in promotion of 
emigration. 

Let Ijut the advantages afforded by Texas be once fairly 
understood in Europe, and the rush to her shores would be 
almost beyond calculation. Earnest co-operation would ac- 
complish a great deal. Information as to soil, climate and 
production must be disseminated throughout every country 



TEJ^AS INVITES IMMIGKATTOy. \\ 

in the old world. The rates of passage must be reduced 
across the Atlantic, and above all, the transportation to the 
interior from the sea- ports must be curtailed. The routes 
of travel should be pointed out — agents placed at all neces- 
sary points to receive and forward the emigrant to his des- 
tination, and such other precautions taken as would afford to 
the new comers all information and protection. It costs 
more to get to Texas than to any other part of the world, 
and if emigration is to be fostered, these expenses must be 
reduced. 

It will be an easy task, if properly managed, to turn the 
lands of Texas into money in any of the older countries of 
Europe. It is only necessary to let the people know that 
the transactions were bona fide. He was connected with 
charitable associations, and had experience in social 
affairs, and felt competent to speak on the subject to which 
allusion had been made. He hoped to be able, on his re- 
turn home, to give such information as would benefit both 
countries. 

During his short sojourn in Texas he had seen enough to 
convince him that, if the true condition and advantages of 
the country were known, thousands of well-to-do farmers in 
Great Britain would come here at once. When English 
farmers who paid fabulous prices for rentage of poor lands 
were convinced of the fact that thousands of acres were ab- 
solutely idle here, and that with all the advantages of soil 
and climate the State imported last year nearly three mil- 
lions of dollars worth of corn and meat, they would not 
hesitate about coming. The greatest stock-raising country 
in the world, and yet good butter was not to be had — mil- 
lions of cows, and yet 'milk a luxury not to be obtained for 
want of servants who had been taught how to manage the 
dairy, and who could be trusted to perform their duties. 

In Lancashire and Cheshire, two of the most important 
agricultural counties of England, farm laborers received 
about $3 50 per week — in Dorsetshire even less than that. 
Of course nothing could be saved out of these scant earn* 
ings, and thousands of these people would be glad to find 
homes in Texas, 

Necessity was not only the mother of invention, but the 
mainspring of action. The man who landed at Galveston 
with two strong hands and willing to work faithfully, was of 
more value than if he brought only a purse of gold ; and it 
was time land owners were realizing the fact, and bending 
their energies to the acquisition of this most desirable cap- 



12 GLIMPSES OF TE^AS. 

ifaL Money was scarce in Texas, but land was plenty, ancJ 
these lands, by proper management, could easily be convert- 
ed into money in any of the countries of Europe. Men of 
means would not hesitate to invest their capital in the cheap 
and rich lands of Texas, if proper means were employed to> 
make them acquainted with the true condition of this part of 
the world. 

He would, after his return, endeavor to be of service in- 
imparting correct information, and he believed his position 
was such as would guarantee belief in what he would say. 
He had given up his own home and undertaken the journey 
he was now pursuing at his individual expense, in order to 
benefit his fellow men, and was assured his mission would 
not prove a vain one. He did not propose to introduce the 
idle and vagabond classes of England, but the honest men 
and women of the agricultural districts, who were unable to 
find remunerative employment at home. If the Legislature 
would do as that of other States have done, and grant assist- 
ance to emigrants, it would greatly facilitate the purposes in 
view. 

It would be well if the Government would take the mat- 
ter in hand and render assistance, but in the absense of such 
help, associations of individuals, by disseminating informa- 
tion and affording assistance and protection, would be able 
to accomplish a great deal of good. Every settler introduced 
was so much added to the aggregate capital of the countr\^ 
The more mouths there were the more trade would result, 
and the more trade the better for all. 

A line of steamers, making at least monthly trips between 
Liverpool and Galveston, should be put on without loss of 
time. These vessels could bring emigrants at a low rate,^ 
and by providing for their reception and temporary relief, if 
necessary, many thousands would be coming forward in a 
very short time. He would do all he could to promote the 
interest of those who might engage in emigration schemes 
on this side of the water, and felt assured he had influence 
enough to be of material service.'' 



DIVISIONS. 13 

II. 

DIVISIONS. 

By common consent and the usage of the Texas press, 
Texas has four subdivisions, viz : Eastern, Central, West- 
ern and Northern Texas. 

EASTERN TEXAS 

Includes the territory from the Sabine to the Trinity 
river. In its physical features it is distinctly marked from 
the other portions of the State. It is the great timbered 
region of Texas. 

What few prairies there are, are confined mostly to 
the counties along the Gulf of Mexico, and extend but a 
little distance inland. The primeval forests still cover 
about four-fifths of its surface. 

These forests contain every species of timber found in 
the Southern States. The white oak, red oak, post oak, 
hickory, pecan, ash, elm, walnut, lombardy and silver-leaf 
poplar abound. Vast bodies of pine are found in every 
portion of Eastern Texas, of both fhe long straw and short- 
straw variety. The valleys of the Sabine, Trinity, Neches, 
Angelina, and other streams, from their mouths a long dis- 
tance up, are heavily timbered with a splendid growth of 
cypress. Cedar also is found, and often in large bodies. 

There is, perhaps, not a finer timbered country in the 
world, than Eastern Texas. 

Its lumber interests are now retarded for the want of 
transportation. The Gulf of Mexico, by way of Sabine 
Pass, affords almost the only outlet. When Eastern Texas 
is penetrated by railroads, as in a short time it will be, its 
lumber trade will at once assume immense proportions. 
For its market it will have all the other divisions of Texas, 
in none of which does the pine grow to any extent, except 
a few counties of Central Texas. 



14 GLIMPSES OF TJS^AS 

The general aspect of South Eastern Texas, is low and 
level; of North Eastern Texas, rolling and elevated; but 
there are no mountains. 

The soil of the uplands is of a light, loamy texture, on a 
basis of red or yellow clay ; in the valleys it is generally a 
deep vegetable mould or alluvion, exceedingly rich and pro- 
ductive — yielding easily a bale of 500 lbs cotton to the acre, 
and forty to sixty bushels of corn. The great canebrakes 
along the Trinity and other rivers, are particularly, of inex- 
haustible fertility. The uplands are less fertile, but easier 
of cultivation, and yield remunerative crops. 

The other products of Eastern Texas are rice, tobacco 
and sugar, all of which yield handsomely, but the latter is 
cultivated to but little extent, ani only in the Gulf counties. 

In Tyler and other counties, a variety of very fine tobac- 
co is raised, fully equal to the best Virginia production. 

The seasons are uniform and crops never fail. 

The price of lands varies of course according to soil, lo- 
calit}^, &c., but unimproved lands, of the best quality, may 
be had at Si to $5 per acre. 

]?uilding is comparatively cheap, owing to the abundance 
of lumber. 

Eastern Texas is the most populous portion of Texas, and 
the oldest settled. The ^' rough edge," which usually char- 
acterizes the society of new countries, has long since been 
worn away or disappeared, and the people are intelligent, 
cultivated and refined. Schools and churches are numerous 
and well supported. 

CENTRAL TEXAS 

Embraces the territory between the Trinity and the Colo- 
rado. 

This division contains the largest cities of Texas, the best 
navigable streams, and nearly all the railroads of the State. 
Its population is an exceedingly vigorous and progressive 
one, and is increasing faster than that of any other portion 



mvisioNS. 15 

of the State. It is destined, perhaps for all time, to be the 
controlling section of the State. It is the heart of Texas. 

It contains the richest lands in the world. Through its 
centre, for a distance of six or seven hundred miles, flows 
the Brazos river, whose wide valleys are famous for fertility. 

It can, alone, produce more cotton than ever has been 
raised in the United States in one year. 

It embraces a large portion of the great wheat region of 
Texas, whose capacity for production is equal to the supply 
of the whole United States. 

Its grand prairies are covered, summer and winter, with 
grasses full of nutrition. 

It is a planting, farming, and stock-raising region, all 
combined in one. There is no portion of it that is not al- 
most equally well adapted to the farmer, planter and stock- 
raiser. 

Its climate is delightful and genial. Excessive heat and 
cold are both unknown ; but this remark applies also to any 
other division of Texas. 

In point of health, no portion of the universe can sur- 
pass it, and few can equal it. 

Lands, to any extent, can be had at from fifty cents to ten 
dollars per acre, but there are few for which that latter price 
would be asked. 

The larger portion of Central Texas is prairie, but the 
valleys along all the streams furnish the timber necessary 
for fuel and fencing. 

Throughout Central Texan, from Washington county north- 
ward, a fine stone for building is found in inexhaustible 
quantities. That found in some sections is capable of taking 
almost as fine a surface as marble. When first taken from 
the quarries it cuts as easily and smoothly as soapstone, but 
exposure to the atmosphere soon makes it almost as hard as 
flint. Of this stone the State House is built. It is partic- 
ularly abundant about Austin. 

The prairie soil is generally black, and always rich where 



GllMPSES OF 1EXAS. 

•1, Tt is of a calcareous nature, and 
this feature P^-e^'^'-, "' .„„t and other small grains, 
therefore exactly the tlnng for wheat an ^^^^ ^^^^^^ 

Corn and cotton flourish upon them, only 
"Ily than in the deep, alluvial valley ^_^^ 

Should the emigrant wish to rais sugar ':c, 

Thrt::^^---^^^^^^^ 

-i;:iSirle:Xn,wW,cornandstocMet 

let him seek the cities and villages ^^^ ^^^^^ 

Central Texas is P^J^^f ^^'^, ^^ ''',;,i, will speedily de- 
Central Railroad and its ^-^^l^^^.^'^tricliest division of 
velop the boundless --^^ f . f ^^ehes a more ample 
Texas, ^nh^. g^-e.t ro.^\ ^^Aj^ Located in Central 

r^'^-'^^s Slllv':;:: Houston, Waco and Aus. 
IrSfir^iallertowns of importance. 

GALVESTON, 

Situated on Galveston Island, .^t^ e.r^^^^^^^^ 

ro^t ct;"Trxr r;;oport.n . us - ^^^^^^^^^ 

Zn, it i second in co-iercial imp-^- ^^ ,,.^ 

Union. Itstotalexportslasty^aramou ^^^^^^^g_ ^^^ 

the duties paid ^-^/^^'^^i'S far exceeded that of 
trade with Eu-pe duni^g^^at penod ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^^. 

at,y previous year. 8'^"^;^^^^^, portion of its foreign 
vcston and Liverpool, but the largP ^^ ^^^^ ^.^^^ ^^ 

trade is carried on by - ' « \ ^J^' jj^w York, and also 
.teamersrunsbetween Galveston an ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^ 

hctwecn Galveston -<l.f ^^ ^,^:ren;plated to establish a 
jrir^Sestrind Baltimore during the current 



DIVISIONS. if 

year. This is the largest cotton market of Texas, and cot- 
ton shipped from Galveston commands a better price in the 
markets of the world than cotton of the same grade, shipped 
from any other port. Many orders direct from the spinners 
in Europe are executed in Galveston. The merchants of 
this city are characterized by activity, energy and reliability. 
The city has three chartered banks and five private banking 
houses. It has fine churches and schools, and a Mercantile 
Library. It has also two large iron foundries. Its popula- 
tion approximates 20,000. On the Gulf side of Galveston, 
and within one mile of the business centre of the city, Gal- 
veston Beach is an object of very especial interest. It is 
second to none in the world, and during the summer season 
is much frequented. Considering its perfect safety for bath- 
ing purposes, its delightful sea breezes and its moderate 
temperature during the warmest seasons, the beach alone 
makes Galveston a delightful summer resort. The beach af- 
fords a delightful drive for miles, the sand being so hard and 
firm that vehicles lilake no impression upon it. The streets 
of Galveston are lighted with gas, and street railroads are in 
successful operation. The cars carry passengers to almost 
every portion of the city, as well as to the beach. The fish 
and oyster market of Galveston is always well supplied from 
the waters of Galveston Bay. The Galveston, Houston and 
Henderson Railroad connects Galveston with Houston, and 
there it is connected with the interior country by the va- 
rious Railroads centering at that point. 

There are three Fire and Marine Insurance Companies 
and the Texas Mutual Life Insurance Company in Galves- 
ton, all of which are well supported. 

There are three Daily Newspapers published in Galveston. 
The Texas Almanac, which has been annually published by 
the proprietors of the Galveston News, always contains an 
abundance of valuable reading matter and statistical infor" 
mation relating to Texas. 

The Tremont Opera House, in Galveston, is one of the 



18 GLIMPSES OF TEXAS 

finest places of the kind in the Southern country, and will 
compare favorably with those of our Northern cities. 

Houston, on Buffalo Bayou, the great railroad centre of 
TexaS; is discussed elsewhere. 

Austin, the Capital of the State, is a city of about 10,000 
population. It is rapidly being approached by the Western 
Branch of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, and by 
the 1st of January, 1872, the connection will doubtless be 
complete. The advantage this will be to Austin in a com- 
mercial point of view, can readily be appreciated. It is a 
pleasant city, and is very picturesque. It is situated on the 
the east bank of the Colorado river. In respect to schools, 
churches and society, it keeps pace with the civilization of 
the age. It is located at about the geographical centre of 
the State. North of it the soil produces all the cereals, the 
city being on the border of the great wheat region of Texas. 
West and Southwest of it is the great stock raising country, 
while due south and east of it, is the great cotton belt of 
Texas. The International Railroad will pass through Aus- 
tin, and will probably reach that city in less than two years. 
In anticipation of the completion of these railroads, proper- 
ty in Austin is rapidly increasing in value. 

Waco, another thriving, prosperous city of Central Texas, 
is the connty seat of McLennan county; and is rapidly ad- 
vancing in wealth, population and importance. It is situ- 
ated in the midst of a fine and productive agricultural re- 
gion, and its progress will receive a powerful impetus when 
it is reached by the Waco Tap and North Western Railroad. 
Merchandizing and manufactures are both carried on here 
to a considerable extent. 

WESTERN TEXAS 

Embraces all that vast region fiom the Colorado to the 
Rio Grande. It is the great stock region of Texas. 

There is no grass to compare with the mesqnit, in all its 
varieties, which covers, as with a dense carpeting, its immense 



DIVISIONS. 19 

prairies. Horses, cattle and sheep keep fat on it all the 
year round. 

The prairies of Western Texas occupy about four-fifths of 
its surface. With the exception of occasional districts cov- 
ered with post oak, or the mesquit tree, the timber is con' 
fined almost entirely to the valleys of the streams, which are 
always densely wooded. The cypress, of gigantic proportions, 
is found even among the mountains north and west of San 
Antonio. It is the only country in which we ever knew the 
cypress to grow among mountains. Live oak timber, so 
valuable for ship building, grows to a considerable extent 
throughout Western Texas, and cedar is often found in large 
bodies. 

The pecan here finds its favorite home. It becomes the 
giant of the forest, and every year throws its rich, oily nuts 
to the ground. The hogs revel on them and fatten without 
other food, with the advance of winter. 

While superlatively. a stock country, Western Texas is 
a.so a fine agricultural country. The valleys of the stream.s 
are exceedingly rich and productive. Indeed, in favorable 
seasons, the yield is astonishing. There are few better farm- 
ing lands anywhere than on the Guadalupe, San Marcos, 
Laviica, San Antonio, Medina, Concho, <fec. 

Lands in this country range from 50 cents to $10 per acre. 

The gigantic stock enterprise of Mr. Kennedy has been 
extensively noticed. He has, west of Corpus Christi, 150,- 
000 acres of land enclosed with a fence 40 miles in extent, 
and 40,000 head of stock. There are many other large stock 
ranches in Western Texas. 

If you wish to raise cattle and horses, go anywhere in 
Western Texas. 

If you wish to raise sheep, the mountainous regions abovcj 
San Antonio are said to be the best. At least the wool- 
growers prefer that country. Nearly all that region has been 
made classic by the pen of George Wilkins Kendall, the 
pioneer sheep raiser of Texas. 



20 GLIMPSES OF TEA'AS. 

For salubrity of climate, Western Texas will compare 
with any country in the world. It is a garden of health. 
Miasmatic diseases are unknown. 

The same stone which we spoke of as abounding in some 
portions of Central Texas, is found almost everywhere in 
Western Texas. It is largely used both for house building 
and fencing. The city of San Antonio is built to a consid- 
erable extent of this material. Seen at a distance, San An- 
tonio, nestled in its beautiful shrubbery and flowers, glistens 
in the setting sun as if it were built of marble. 

There is a portion of Western Texas called the Pan-Han- 
dle, including the Llano Estacado, and the region border 
ing on the eastern boundary of Arizona and New Mexico 
It is an almost unexplored region, but little known at pre 
gent, the tramping ground of the wild Indian and the buffalo 

San Antonio is the largest city in Western Texas, and has 
a population approximating 15,000. It was settled by the 
Spaniards, perhaps a century ago. Though a large propor- 
tion of its population is Mexican, the American element 
preponderates. It is now an active, progressive ciry, light- 
ed with gas, and with fine churches and institutions of learn- 
ing. It trades extensively with Chihuahua and other por- 
tions of Mexico. 

New Braunfels, the county seat of Comal county, is a 
thrifty German settlement, of about 5000 population. With 
the industry and energy characteristic of that element, they 
have made that city so productive, as to be almost indepen- 
dent of the outside world. Its woolen fabrics are of the 
finest quality. It has water power adequate to extensive 
manufactures. 

Lavaca, Indianola, and Brownsville are the most impor- 
tant shipping points in Western Texas. The first two, sit- 
uated in Calhoun county, on Lavaca and Matagorda Bay, 
are places of some commercial importance, which is rapidly 
increasing. A large portion of the trade of Western TexaS 
is carried on through these ports, and the Morgan steamers 
now ply between Galveston and Indianola. 



DIVISIONS. 21 

Brownsville, the county seat of Cameron county, is situ- 
ated on the Rio Grande, and has a population of 6000. Bra- 
zos Santiago is the shipping port of Brownsville. The Mor- 
gan steamers ply between New Orleans, Galveston, Indian- 
ola and Brazos. It also trades through the medium of sail- 
ing vessels with New York. Some imports from Europe 
for the Mexican trade arc landed in bond at Brazos and trans- 
shipped. 

NORTHERN TEXAS 

Includes two or three tiers of counties from Red River- 
This region is very similar to upper Central Texas in cli- 
mate, soil and productions. It is a splendid and rapidly 
developing portion of the State. For the production of cot- 
ton the valley of the Red River is renowned, and much of 
the great wheat region also belongs to this division of Tex- 
as. It is about equally divided between prairie and forest. 

One of the forest growths of Northern Texas is the Bois 
d'Arc, which here attains the size of a large tree. It makes 
fine wagon lumber. When seasoned, it is well nigh as hard 
and strong as steel, and is very durable. The value of the 
Bois d'Arc or osage orange, as a hedge, is well known. 

This portion of Texas is being rapidly filled up, and it 
must eventually be well populated. It is especially adapted 
to the cultivation of the great cereals produced in the West, 
and its soil and climate are all that could be desired. Fruits 
of all the varieties grown in the Middle and Western States, 
flourish in Northern Texas. 



22 GLIMPSES OF TE^YAS. 

III. 

THE PRESENT AND PROSPECTIVE RAILROADS 
IN TEXAS, dx. 

Having partially described the boundless^ undeveloped 
wealth in resources of the various divisions of Texas, and 
designated the various railroads in active operation, as well 
as those in course of construction, we feel that it would not 
be ont of place to here give more ample consideration to 
those railroads, and the peculiar characteristics of the coun- 
trj^ through which they pass and will pass, as well as to the 
indication of what great purposes of trade they wiil sub- 
serve, and Vv'hat great points and interests they will connect. 

niE IIOUSTOX AND TEXAS CENTRAL RAILROAD, 

With Houston for its base, is rapidly progressing towards 
Preston, on Red River, a»id on the northern boundary of" the 
State. From Houston to the town of Hempstead, a dis- 
tance of about 50 miles, this road passes tli rough a good 
prairie country, most of which is veiy productive. Frcm 
Hempstead it skirts the rich ''Brazos Bottom,'' via Court- 
ney, Navasota, Millican, Bryan, Hearne and Calvert, to 
Bremond — a distance of about 100 miles. Did space permit, 
these bottom lands should receive more than a passing no' 
tice. They lie on both sides of the Brazos river, wliicli 
penetrates Central Texas. These bottoms are from four to 
seven miles in width, along the entire course of the river, 
and scarcely an acre of them can be found that will not pro- 
duce a bale of cotton, or forty bushels of corn to the acre, 
with the most ordinary attention. For the culture of corn 
and cotton, they are, perhaps, surpassed by no country in 
the world. 

Leaving the Brazos to the left, and passing northward to 
the Trinity, the Central road next penetrates the heart of 
the great wheat region of Texas. At Hearne. it will in- 



RAILROADJS, 23 

tersect the great International Railroad, which is now be- 
ing rapidly constructed in an easterly and westerly direction 
from that point. Plearne is in Robertson county, and 
near the Brazos river. It is believed, that, from its railroad 
communications, it will eventuall}' become a place of im- 
portance. 

At Bremond, the Waco Tap and North Western Rail- 
road forms a branch of the Central, and runs north-westerly 
to Waco, passing through the rich counties of Falls and 
McLennan, and will eventually develop the upper Brazos 
country. 

From Bremond, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad 
runs almost due north, via Kosse to Groesbeeck, which is 
about the centre of Limestone county, and the present ter- 
minus of the road. 

From (jrroesbeeck, the Central, as it progresses, will pass 
near the Tiliuacana Hills, a very picturesque section of 
country. This vicinity is being settled very rapidly. The 
landscape here is, perhaps, the most beautiful in Texas. 
Timber and prairie are found here in the desirable propor- 
tions. Trinity College, a fine institution of learning, is sit- 
uated in the town of Tehuacana. 

From Tehuacana it will pass through Navarro count}^, 
near the town of Oorsicana — a rich and beautiful section; 
thence through Ellis county to Dallas; thence through Collin 
county and near McKinney; thence through Grayson county 
near Sherman; and thence to Preston, its ultimate terminus. 
Passengers are now conveyed by stage from Groesbeeck 
along the unfinished line of the '^entral. 

There is no railroad in the world with a more magnificent 
country than this from which to draw its sustenance, tap- 
ping as it does both the ^reat cotton and wheat belts of Tex- 
as. About fifteen passenger and freight trains daily run 
over this road from Houston to its present terminus. The 
receipts from this road are doubtless as great as those of any 
road in the country, in proportion to its length, and the cap- 



24 GLIMPSES OF TE^AS, '^ 

ital invested. At Preston it will connect with the railroads 
from Missouri and Kansas, now being rapidly constructed, 
thus giving Houston direct communication with the North- 
west, and with California by the Union Pacific Railroad. 

The managers of the Central are confident that it will 
reach Preston, its terminus, 400 miles from Houston, by 
July, 1872. 

The Central now has on the road thirty -five engines, five 
hundred box and flat cars, and twenty cars for stock. Much 
more rolling stock is in course of construction. The gen- 
eral business ofiice and the machine and work shops of this 
road are located in Houston. 

THE WESTERN BRANCH RAILROAD, 

Owned by and constituting pan jf the Houston and Texas 
Central Railroad, starting from Hempstead, fifty miles from 
Houston, strikes out westwardly for Austin, the State Cap- 
ital. Leaving Hempstead, it crosses the Brazos, running 
through the centre of Washington county, via Chappell Hill, 
Brenham and Burton to Ledbetter, its present terminus. 
Washington county, penetrated by this road, is one of the 
most populous and productive counties in Texas. Its peo- 
ple are cultivated and intelligent, and the finest schools 
have been here established. From Ledbetter this road will 
pass through the eastern portion of Bastrop county to Aus- 
tin. It is under contract to be completed by January 1st, 
1872. At the present time the connection is made between 
the terminus of the road and the " City of Austin by daily 
stages. 

THE GALVESTON, HOUSTON AND HENDERSON RAILROAD 

Connects Galveston with the railroads centering at Houston, 
extending a distance of fifty miles. 

THE HOUSTON TAP AND BRAZORIA RAILROAD 

Now runs from Houston to Columbia, a distance of fifty 



BAILROADS, 25 

miles, penetrating the rich bottoms of Oyster Creek and 
lower Brazos, the great sugar region of Texas. It is graded 
some thirty miles beyond its present terminus to Caney bot- 
toms, in Wharton county. This is commonly known as the 
*^ Sugar Road" of Texas. Before the war, the lands along 
the line of this road commanded higher prices than any 
other lands in Texas. 

THE GALVESTON, HOUSTON^ND SAN ANTONIO RAILllOAD 

Has the last named city for its objective point. It has already 
eighty miles in operation, running through Harris, Fort 
Bend, Wharton and Colorado counties, to Columbus. Its 
general course is due west, passing through a fine farming 
and stock country, crossing the rich bottoms of the Brazos, 
Colorado and Guadalupe, and passing near the town of 
Gonzales. The completion of this road to San Antonio 
will attract the trade of Western Texas, and some of the 
northern States of Mexico, to Houston and Galveston. Pas- 
sengers are now conveyed from the terminus of this road to 
San Antonio by stage. 

THE HOUSTON AND GREAT NORTHERN RAILROAD 

Runs due north from Houston to the Red River. It will be 
connected with the Fulton and Cairo Railroad, and through 
it and the Illinois Central, it will connect Housto»n, on the 
tide waters of the Galf, and the great railroad centre of the 
South-west, with Chicago, the great railroad centre and me- 
tropolis of the lakes. 

This road penetrates the great timbered region of Texas. 
From Houston it passes through the northern portion of 
Harris county to Spring Creek, (a beautiful stream of clear 
water on the boundary line between Harris and Montgomery 
counties,) and after crossing Spring Creek, at a distance 
of twenty miles from Houston, it enters what is known as 
the "Big Thicket," a most magnificent body of timber, con- 
sisting of white oak, cypress, pine, post oak, ash, mulberry, 



26 GLIMPSES OF lEJTAS. 

wild cherry, &c. Passing through the *' Big Thicket," a 
distance of about thirty miles, it will pass near the town of 
Danville, in the eastern portion of Montgomery county, a 
very desirable planting country, fifty-five miles from Hous- 
ton; and thence through Walker county to the Trinity river, 
which it will cross at a point about eighty miles from Hous- 
ton. Leaving the Trinity, it will pass through the counties 
of Trinity, Houston and Cherokee to the vicinity of Tyler, 
in Smith county. Thence it will be connected with Fulton, 
Arkansas, by the east line of the International Railroad, its 
objective point being Clarksville, in Red River county. This 
road will bring the principal trade of Eastern Texas to 
Houston and Galveston, a trade that has heretofore been 
almost entirely carried on with New Orleans. It will more- 
over open up the great coal and iron resources of Eastern 
Texas. The stock of this company is owned by Houston 
and New York capitalists — among its stockholders are some 
of the most substantial and successful railroad men in the 
country. The completion of this road to the line of the 
International, is confidently expected by July 1st, 1872, 
which will give Houston direct communication with the 
roads of the great west. It will also connect with the Texas 
Pacific at some point in Smith county, and by the Texas 
Pacific and the Northern Louisiana Road with Vicksburg via 
Marshall and Shreveport. At Vicksburg it will be connected 
with all the roads east and north. 

The general office of this company is in Houston, where 
its machine shops will also be located. 

THE AVESTERN NARROW GAUGE RAILROAD 

Is an enterprise recently projected. It is intended to run 
mostly due west from Houston through Harris, Austin, Fay- 
ette, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays and Guadalu])e counties to 
the flourishing German city of New Braunfels. Besides 
New Braunfels there are many other thriving and prosper- 
ous German settlements along the line of the Narrow Gauge 



Mailboads. 2l 

Railroad. When completed it will greatly increase the trade 
of Houston, as it will pass through the most densely popu- 
lated and best developed region of Texas. 

THE NEW ORLEANS, MOBILE AND CHATTANOOGA RAILROAD, 

When it reaches Houston, will open a new era in its pro- 
gress. Besides making Houston the great distributing point 
for the trade and travel flowing into Texas from the Missis- 
sippi valley and the east, it will then become the great cat- 
tle market of the South-west, from which New Orleans and 
the cities of the East will draw their supplies of fresh beef. 

It is reliably asserted that this road will reach Houston in 
the early part of 1872. The Texas and New Orleans road 
will probably be incorporated into and made part of the 
New Orleans, Mobile and Chattanooga Railroad. The Texas 
and New Orleans road runs a distance of 108 miles from 
Houston, via Gentry, Liberty, Sour Lake and Beaumont, 
passing through the eastern portion of Harris county, Lib- 
erty, Jefferson and Orange counties, to the Sabine river, 
the boundary line between Texas and Louisiana. The val- 
leysofthe Neches and Sabine rivers, intersected by this road, 
are heavily timbered with the finest cypress, which is con- 
verted into lumber and shingles : also, good long leaf pine. 

THE INTERNATIONAL RAILROAD 

Company was chartered by the Legislature of Texas in 1870. 
To aid in the construction of this road, the company is lO 
receive bonds of the State of Texas to the amount of $10,- 
000 per mile, payable in thirty years, and bearing interest 
at ihe rate of 8 per cent, per annum, payable semi-annually 
in New York, the first payment of bonds to be made upon 
the completion of the first twenty miles of the road, and 
thereafter upon the completion of each ten miles, in accord- 
ance with the terms of the charter. The charter authorizes 
the company to construct a single or double track railroad 
from some point on Red River, at or near the town of Ful- 



28 GLIMPSES OF TEXAS. 

ton, Arkansas, to connect with the Fulton and Cairo Rail- 
road, and across the State of Texas, by way of Austin and 
San Antonio, to the Rio Grande, at or about Laredo. This 
road will probably be extended to the Pacific Ocean, reach- 
ing it either at San Bias or Mazatlan. 

As the charter required the company to begin work within 
six months, operations were commenced forthwith, and as 
before observed, the work is progressing from Hearne, 
the intersection of the International and the Houston and 
Texas Central Railroads, in both directions. And it is ex- 
pected to have forty miles completed by the 1st of July next. 

This road runs, in about a south-west line, through the 
State of Texas, a little south of its geographical centre, but 
almost directly through the centre of the settled, agricultu- 
ral and stock-producing districts. Extended, upon its pre- 
sent projected line, through Mexico, it would strike at Ma- 
zatlan. Under the management of some of the most efficient 
railroad men in the United States, we have every reason to 
believe that this road will be speedily pushed forward to a 
successful completion. We feel justified in making this as- 
sertion, from the fact that work thereon is now progressing 
in both directions from Hearne, and also from its north- 
ern terminus, Fulton, on the Arkansas boundary. The In- 
ternational Railroad will be tapped by five railroads from 
Houston, viz: by the Houston and Great Northern, at or near 
Tyler ; by the Houston and Texas Central, at Hearne ; by 
the Western Branch, at Austin ; by the Western Narrow 
Gauge, at some point near New Braunfels, and by the Gal- 
veston, Houston and San Antonio railroad, at San Antonio. 
The iron and rolling stock for the construction of this road 
passes through the city of Houston, and is delivered at 
Hearne by the Houston and Texas Central. The general 
business office of the company is in the town of Hearne, 

THE TRANS-CONTINENTAL RAILROAD 

Company was chartered by the Texas Legislature at its last 
iesKion, and orgAniised in New York, in October lait. It 



RAILROADS. 2g 

has purchased all the interests and property of the Memphis 
and El Paso K-ailroad. This line is to extend from Fulton, 
Arkansas, to El Paso, directly across the Northern and 
and North-western portions of Texas. It will probably con- 
nect with the Texas Pacific at some point in North-western 
Texas, near the 32d parallel. 

TEE TEXAS PACIFIC RAILROAD, 

Chartered by Congress, and starting from Marshall, in Har- 
rison county, has already been constructed as far as Long- 
view, Upshur county, Texas. Its route will most probably 
be through Smith, Van Zandt, Kaufman, Ellis, Johnson, 
Hood, Erath, Eastland, Callahan and Taylor counties to El 
Paso, and thence to San Diego, its objective point on the 
Pacific. The work on this road is being vigorously pushed 
forward. Receiving substantial aid, both from the State of 
Texas and from the Federal Government, it will doubtless 
progress as rapidly as did the Union Pacific, developing a 
fine portion of our territory, and opening our communica- 
tions with the Pacific Ocean. It will be the great, thorough- 
fare for the products of China and the East Indies. 

The Texas Pacific will probably be tapped by the Western 
Branch of the Central Railroad, at some point between. Erath 
county and El Paso. The extension of the Western Branch 
in this direction would develop some of the finest agricul- 
tural and mineral lands in Texas. In that event, Houston 
will be the first point on tide water leading to the Atlantic 
Ocean reached by railroads leading from the Pacific Ocean, 

THE GULF, WESTERN TEXAS AND PACIFIC RAILROAD, 

Is the title of the consolidated Mexican Gulf and Indian ola 
Railroad. The easterly termini of this road are Lavaca and 
Indianola, and its objective point is San Antonio. This road 
from Lavaca to Victoria was completed and in running order 
before the war. It is now in the hands of large capitalistSj 
and will doubtless be pushed forward speedily. 



go QLIMPSES OF TRZAS. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

Above we have endeavored to give a short description of 
the various railroads of Texas, and such facts in connection 
with each, as we deemed of general interest. Which of the 
above roads will exercise the most beneficial influence upon 
Texas, is a problem yet to be solved. That Houston, the 
present railroad centre of Texas, will be connected with the 
States north and east of us by at least three lines of roads, 
in less than two years, seems to admit of no doubt. That a 
connection with the Pacific, by one or more of the routes 
through Texas, will be had in the course of the next few 
years, is almost certain. What effect these connections will 
have upon our commerce and the future growth of our own 
cities, is a fruitful subject for favorable speculation, Hous- 
ton and Galveston must control the greater portion of the 
trade of our State, after its development by railroads and 
the increase in population resulting therefrom. This will 
appear the more evident from the consideration of the fact 
that the chief products of our State are cotton, sugar and 
wheat, and the market for the first named article is princi- 
pally in Europe, as it is a well established fact that more 
than two-thirds of the cotton grown in the United States is 
consumed there. Texas cotton commands more in those mar- 
kets than like grades grown elsewhere, and hence the demand 
for the great staple produced in our State will come chiefly 
from the spinners in Europe. It would be unreasonable to 
presume that our cotton will be transported by rail to New 
York, or any of the Atlantic cities, a distance of over 1500 
miles, for transshipment to Europe, when our own roads are 
ready to carry it from the field of the producer to our own 
seaboard, where the shipping awaits it, ready to convey 
to the market for which it is destined, and at almost the 
same rates charged for freight from New York and other 
eastern cities. 

Sugar, our next great staple, must be produced in quanti- 
ties sufficient to supply our own demand and that of the 



MAILE0J3& 81 

country north and west of us. The sugar lands of Texas 
are located near the coast, and as they are developed by the 
railroads centering at Houston, the demand for that com- 
modity from the interior of Texas arid the adjacent country 
must be supplied from that source. But, even should our 
product be inadequate to this demand, sugar will be procured 
from Louisiana and the West Indies, and the points for its 
importation would then be Galveeton and Houston. Re- 
fined and transshipped from thence, our consumers would 
receive it burdened with far less expense in the way of 
freights, storages, &c., than it can be furnished from the 
markets of the North and East, after its necessarily long 
transportation by rail. 

Wheat, another of our great staples, will be produced at 
no distant day in sufficient quantities to make it an impor- 
tant element in our trade. For this, the natural outlet must 
be our own ports. It will find its way to the waters of Buf- 
falo Bayoa, where it will be converted into flour, and thence 
to the markets of the West Indies, South America and 
Europe. 

Coffee, tea, salt and other necessary imports, can be had 
directly from foreign ports, and the consumers being brought 
by our own railroads and our ships into the closest practi- 
cable communication with the countries in which these ar- 
ticles are produced, must be furnished with them at the most 
reasonable rates from our own cities. 

With the development of our State by the various rail- 
roads now in course of construction, our cities must increase 
in wealth, population and commercial importance, as our 
resources are brought into market, and as our means of 
communication multiply. The railroads now in course of 
construction will not be less than 3,000 miles in extent. 
That they will be completed, is insured almost beyond per- 
adventure. Estimated at the ordinary average cost of rail- 
road building, $30,000 per mile, these railroads will be a 
substantial and permanent investment in our State of $90,- 



32 GLIMPSES OF TE^AS. 

000,000. This, taken in connection with the value of the 
necessary machine shops, depots, &c., the increased value 
of the property in the immediate vicinity of the stations, 
towns, and cities that will be created along the various 
routes, and the enhanced value of all the lands that will be 
brought into communication with the highways of trade, 
serves to convince us that the career of wealth and prosper- 
ity our railroad interests are about to inaugurate for Texas, 
cannot be over-estimated. Increase in wealth and popula- 
tion, and a development of the highest type of enlighten- 
ment, must attend a complete system of communication be- 
tween all parts of Texas and the commercial world. 



IV. 

COMMERCE OF TEXAS. 

The desirability of a country is perhaps better evidenced 
by an exhibit of its trade and commerce, than in any other 
mariner. 

Judging: by this standard, Texas occupies no unenviable 
position in the family of States. 

The recognized circulating medium of the Sta^>e has al- 
ways been coin — gold and silver. Currency is only used 
for the payment of taxes, and for circulating along the 
coast ; also taken in payment of debts due. 

Texas dollars are hard, precious, metal dollars, worth 
the amount stamped upon them in any market in Christen- 
dom, and we hazard nothing in saying that there is more 
gold and silver circulating in Texas alone than in all the 
other States East of the Rocky Mountains combined. 

The balance of trade has for many years been in our favof , 
and there has necessarily been a constant flow of the pre- 
cious metals into our State to the extent of millions of dol- 
lars each year. The unsettled condition of national and 



COMMERCE OF TE^TAS. P>3 

political affairs has led to tlie hoarding of considerable gold 
and silver, but there is now no question that as all impedi- 
ments to healthy business intercourse have been well nigh 
removed, we will soon have much of this now dormant cap- 
ital flowing into the channels of trade and increasing ma- 
terially our activity and enterprise. 

For the commercial year ending August 31, 1870, the esti- 
mated value of Texas exports was about $45,000,000, gold, 
viz : 

Cotton $33,000,000 

Wool 850,000 

Hides 2,325,000 

Beef (bbls.) 750,000 

Beeves and Live Stock 7,fe70,000 

Pecans and other articles ,. 265,000 

Total $45,000,000 

The imports for the same period did not exceed Ji?25,000,- 
000. The exports for the year previous, $33,575,972. 

Thus our productions tor one year exceeded the year 
previous in value more than 25 per cent.; and our excess of 
exports over imports was in round numbers over $20,* 
000,000. 

We challenge any State, North, South, East or West, to 
make as satisfactory an exhibit of its productive capacity in 
proportion to its population. 

We trade through our own ports directly with foreign 
ports; the major part of our surplus product is consumed 
in the United States. A heavy trade is done with New York, 
and our business with Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore 
yearly demands increased facilities for transportation. 
With New Orleans, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Pittsburg, 
our trade is by no means inconsiderable, and is rapidly on 
the increase. Fifteen large and commodious steamers are 
constantly plying between New Orleans and Texas ; eight 
or ten are in the New York line, while the number of sailing 
vessels actively engaged in the trade between Texas and the 
northern and fereign ports, exceeds one liundreei. 



34 GLIMPSES OF TEXAS, 

Large as these statistics of commerce may appear, with 
our rapid rate of increase in population, the day is not far 
distant when our products will be doubled. The develop- 
ment of the country, which inevitably will follow the con- 
struction of railroads, will most rapidly increase our produc- 
tive capacity. 

Our people are thoroughly alive to the importance of 
railroad facilities, and outside capital is rapidly flowing into 
our State and helping along the work of increasing our com- 
munications. 

The transportation of iron for railroad purposes to the 
State of Texas, will employ nearly fifty vessels during the 
current year. In a commercial point of view, Texas ranks 
far above the average of States, and will doubtless, before 
long take rank among the highest on the list. 



FARMI^G IN TEXAS. 

The farmer in Texas has his choice of any and all the va* 
rious crops produced in the United States. There is no 
part of the State that will not grow cotton, corn, potatoes, 
turnips, barley, oats, Chinese- sugar cane, millet, broom 
corn, etc., abundantly. The best grass in the world for hay 
is indigenous everywhere. The southern part of the State 
produces wonderful crops of su^ar cane, the same that is 
grown in Cuba and Louisiana, while the northern portion 
produces equally wonderful crops of wheat and rye. 

WHEAT. 

Wheat is sown in November and makes its start in win- 
ter. It is used as a winter pasturage, and it isYound neces- 
sary to keep its growth back in this way until the middle of 
February, to keep it out of danger from the late frosts. 



FAHMJNQ m TE2^AS, 85 

Frost does no injury to wheat unless it occurs after it begins 
to joint. Such a thing as winter killed wheat is unknown 
in Texas. Wheat grows luxuriantly during the Spring, and 
ripens usually in May, or just about the time the fields of 
the North begin to grow. It is harvested during the month 
of May, and often new flour is placed in market by the 20th 
of that month. With increased railroad facilities, now be- 
ing realized, it will not be wonderful to see flour from new 
Texas wheat in New York by the 1st of June. 

One advantage that Texas wheat has over that grown 
further north is, that flour from it has never been known to 
sour from the eff'ects of warm weather. During the late 
war, the people of the coast of Texas looked to the north- 
ern counties entirely for their supplies of flour. In addition 
to this, vast quantities were stored for the feeding of the 
troops. None was lost from heating. It was then proved 
that Texas has a wheat producing capacity sufficient to feed 
all her population. In fact, there being no encouragement 
then for the growth of cotton, flour was so abundant as to 
be universally sold at $2 50 to $3 00 per 100 lbs., a price 
considerably below the present average of equally good St. 
Louis flour. 

The Houston and Texas Central Railroad has now reached 
the border of the wheat region. As it progresses through it 
and lateral roads are built to accommodate the country, it is 
anticipated that the production of wheat will receive a new 
impetus. A market will be created for the surplus produc- 
tion, which will command its price in money, and wkere 
thousands of bushels are now produced, tens and twenties 
of thousands will be grown. Texas has the capacity to 
yield anywhere from fifty t-o one hundred millioRS bushels 
of wheat per year, whenever there is a market for it and 
labor to produce it. 

The future great wheat market for the South -west will be 
the City of Houston. Within easy access to the unlimited 
supplies of Northern Texas by one railroad now, anii event- 



. 36 . GLJMPSES OF 2EXJS. 

ually by two or three, and being upon tide water ; having 
elevators previded by nature in the high banks of the bayou, 
the best sites for flouring mills in the world, there is no 
good reason why the exchanges of breadstufifs should not 
always be within her borders. What a vast wheat market 
will make of a city, let Chicago and St. Louis answer. The 
command of the wheat trade of Texas is destined to be 
worth more than double the command of the cotton trade. 

SUGAR CANE. 

The extreme Southern part of Texas, and especially the 
counties of the lower Trinity, Brazos and Colorado, are 
well adapted to the cultivation of Sugar. On these lands of 
unexampled fertility, a crop of a hogshead of 1300 lbs. of 
sugar and two barrels of molasses to the aare is not unus- 
ual, while three hogsheads and six barrels have been takeri 
off in favorable years. A hogshead of sugar is worth, at 
present prices, $150, and a barrel of molasses $25. The 
J)roduction of sugar, however, requires at first considerable 
outlay of capital. A sugar plantation should embra-ce from 
One hundred to one thousand acres for sugar cane. To plant 
this will require several years. The usual course is to plant 
one-fifth of the land each year, one planting ordinarily last' 
ing five years. The sugar house is expensive, according to 
the quantity to be provided for. It consists of large brick 
buil(Mngs, containing heavy machinery for grinding the 
cane, boiling the juice, and granulating the sugar. A sugar 
house for 100 acres may be made to cost less than $5000, 
while for the larger plantations, sometimes as much as $50,- 
000 to $75,00© is expended upon them. Once established, 
if labor can be commanded, there is no crop more profit- 
able. Good sugar planters have cleared tolerably good 
sized fortunes each year. 

CORN. 

Indian Corn is a staple crop on every farm in Texas. 
There is not an acre of land in the State that may not be 



^j 



FARMING m TE2CAS, 37 

made to produce it. It is planted according to latitude 
from the 1st of February to the 1st of April, and matures in 
July. The usual plan is to cultivate almost altogether with 
the plow, and if it oncegetj start of the grass so as to shade 
the ground, it will keep itself clear of weeds. Two or three 
cultivations are necessary in the Spring until May, when it 
may be " laid by," and requires no other attention until 
fodder pulling, in July, and harvesting in September. The 
usual course is, when the ear is hardening, to strip the stalks 
of the blade, which is tied to them and cured in the sun. 
This is then gathered for fodder, and is kept in stacks to 
feed to the yard stock, in the winter. While the fodder is 
being saved, the ear of corn is turned down so as to shed 
rain, and left till September to ripen. Here, in fact, it may 
stay till November, if other work, as is usual on cotton 
plantations, presses. Corn yields an average crop of forty- 
five barrels to the acre. 

COTTON. 

Cotton is the great staple crop of the State. It is raised 
on the freedman's "patch" of half an acre, on the farmer's 
field of five and fifty acres, and on the plantation of one 
hundred to two thousand acres. Few cultivators of the soil 
but grow some cotton. Even where it is not raised as a 
crop, a little is produced for home consumption. 

Cotton is planted after the ground begins to get warm in 
March, and carefully cultivated till June. If, the season is 
an average one, it is " brought to a stand" in May. It is 
first planted very thickly, and when well up and out of dan- 
ger of frost, it is chopped out with the hoe, leaving a stalk 
every three or five feet. This is " bringing it to a stand." 
In June and July it begins to bloom, and the ripe cotton be- 
gins to open early in August. From this time till frost it 
continues to grow^ and the hands are busy saving the fleecy 
staple. 

To tultivate cotton .suoce^sfully, a gin and press are need- 



aa ^LIMFStBS OF STJEJTAS. 

ed. These, with the requisite buildings, may be supplied for 
from $600 to $10,000, according to the extent of the erop. 

In the neighborhood of Houston, where there are two 
cotton factories supplied with gins, the machinery of cotton 
ginning and pressing cotton may be dispensed with. Few 
cotton farmers in Harris county now gin their own cotton, 
but take it ii the seed, just as it is picked, to the factory, 
where a fair price in coin may always be obtained. These 
factories consume largely more cotton than Harris county 
yet produces, or is likely to produce, though the production 
is considerably increasing each year. 

The average production of cotton, on the uplands, is about 
three-quarters of a bale to the acre. On the alluvial soils of 
the river bottoms, this average is increased to a bale to the 
acre. A £:ood hand will cultivate twelve acres in cotton, and 
as much more in corn, the two crops dovetailing together. 

Experiments recently tried are proving that there is hard- 
ly an acre f^f arable land in the State, but will produce a 
fair crop of cotton, and as improved plans of cultivation are 
adopted, the crop will increase. 

Texas, whea brought up to its capacity, may easily turn 
out a larger crop of cotton than is now produced by the 
whole United States. 

OTHER CR0P3. 

The intelligent farmer will not require further information 
regarding crops. Let him consider, that with a soil consid- 
erably richer than is to be found east of the Mississippi, and 
with seasons from one to four months longer, he has the 
whole wide field of production to choose from afnd experi- 
ment in. Will he produce hay? Let him fence in the na- 
tive prairie, and put his mowing machine upon it. He will 
have an abundance. Or, should he wish to improve the 
quality, let him turn up the sod and keep the weeds down 
till May, and the *' crop grass" will take it, and supply him 
a crop each month, from the same field, till October. Is he 



WHEAT IN THE COAST COUNTIES. g^ 

convenient to market ? Irish and sweet potatoes, thre« 
hundred bushels to the acre, rarely command less than 76 
cents per bushel. Is he disposed to can vegetables and 
fruits ? His season is longer, and his crop is larger than he 
can prodMce elsewhere. Broom corn can be grewn in heavy 
crops. Castor oil will pay him a large profit. While the 
extras, such as the production of wine, from native grapes, 
the preparation of moss for bedding, the gathering of pecan 
nuts, the raising of hogs, etc., are always at hand for the 
leisure time, and their products always find ready sale. And 
if this is not enough, with his gun he may any day take the 
prairie and bring down his deer for a change of diet. 

Such is the field for enterprise to the hard working far- 
mer, and no where in the world can he get so much for his 
labor, as on the virgin soil of Texas. 



VI. 
WHEAT IN THE COAST COUNTIES OF TEXAS. 

The following is from the pen of the President of the 
State Fair Association of Texas, addressed to an Agricul- 
tural Club in Houston : 

'' Gentlemen — Can wheat be successfully produced in the 
coast counties of Texas ? 

This question presents an important subject of enquiry, 
and should address itself to the serious consideration of 
every one who desires to promote the best interest of this 
portion of our State. If it should be proved that our coast 
county lands are adapted to the growth of wheat, then our 
vast prairies will become the happy homes of industrious 
millions. Wheat is a great civilizer, and the districts in 
which it is grown, constitute the great centres of agricultural 
population. I am aware that there is a preconceived opin- 



40 GLIMPSES OF tejs:as. 

ion among tiiany that wheat cannot be successfully grown in 
our coast counties, which opinion is not founded on practi- 
cal experience, but on the erroneous idea that the climate 
is too warm, and that the locality is too n«ar the Gulf. To 
refute this opinion, it is sufficient to say that, in the coun- 
tries bordering on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea, in- 
cluding Southern Europe and Northern Africa, wheat has 
been cialtivated successfully for more than two thousand 
years, Egypt and Algeria are renowned for their produc- 
tion of fine wheat ; all of which countries are warmer than 
any portion of Texas, and equally as contiguous to the 
sea-coast. Wheat grows in Mexico to gr^at perfection, in 
a latitude much further South than this. 

There were exhibited some years ago, at the great fair in 
London, one hundred and seventy-six varieties of wheat, 
^ embracing specimens of production from almost every 
part of the agricultural world. The committee to whom 
these spe«imens were referred, made a very learned and 
elaborate report upon the history and climatic susceptibili- 
ties of the many varieties on exhibition. The conclusions 
drawn by this report were, 1st, That the wheat plant will 
grow and mature in any agricultural region of the world, 
provided the variety is adapted to the locality. 

2d, That wheat was more generally cultivated, and con- 
ferred more substantial benefits upon the human family 
than any other one article of agricultural production. 

3d, That it grew to its greatest perfection in a warm cli- 
naate and in a rich soil. The premium was awarded to 
wheat grown in Algeria. At the great international exhi- 
bition held in 1867, the premium was awarded to wheat 
grown in Southern California. The committee based their 
action on substantially the same reasons as that of the 
London Fair : * 'Because the wheat was grown in a warm 
climate and in a rich soil." If it be true that wheat is sus- 
ceptible of being acclimatized, so as to produce a variety 
adapted to any agricultural region, and that it flourishes 



ISTOck RAISING, 4l 

oest in a warm climate and a rich soil, may it liot be possi- 
ble that we may be able to obtain a variety adapted to our 
coast counties ? Daring the late war, Capt. John Duncan 
produced in Matagorda county thirty-five bushels to the 
acre f his neighbor, Col. Hawkins, whose plantation was 
still nearer the coast, produced forty bushels to the acre; 
both planted the same variety, which they called the anti- 
rust wheat. Mr. Dance, near Columbia, in Brazoria county, 
has produced wheat averaging twenty-three bushels to the 
acre. Our late lamented friend, Maj. J. W. Scott, told me 
a short time before his death, that he had produced good 
wheat on his homestead near this city. These experiments 
were made, if I am not mistaken in my recollection of the 
facts, as related to me by the parties themselves, on black 
prairie soil. 

The greatest difficulty is the rust. There are, however, 
varieties of wheat which are said to be proof against rust. 

If so, thpse are the varieties best suited to our coast 
counties*'' 



VII. 
STOCK EAISIKG. 

Stock Raising has always been a favorite pursuit with 
Texans. The cattle of the country thrive upon the prairie, 
without other care than the annual herding, for branding. 
The cost of stock cattle, as they run, is about $4 per head. 
Fat beeves command $10 to $15. 

The annual increase of a herd of cattle, allowing for the 
ordinary casualties, is 33 per cent. Let a good herder be- 
gin with 300 head, and, with ordinary care, he will in ten 
years have over 5000 head, from which he may sell $0000 
worth of fat beeves a year, without diminishing his stock. 

In the North tho farmer muat feed his cattle from four to 



42 dLlMPSES OF TE±AS. 

six months in the year, and he cannot raise neat cattle so as 
to sell them at less than $50 a head. Here beef is abnnd- 
ant at 6 cents per pound, and stock raiser? and butchers say- 
there is money in it at that. Having once established a herd 
of 5000 head, the stock-raiser hasan ample competence with- 
out further exertion. Three weeks driving in the year suf- 
fices to brand the calves, and an occasional culling of the 
herd for beeves to send to market is all that is needed. 

The stock-raiser is not obliged, so long as the country is 
not fenced in, to own a foot of land. Still it is better to 
have a ranche, and this can be purchased, including 500 or 
000 acres of land, and improvements, for $1000. For the 
land alone, of course not more than half as much will be 
demanded. A stock of cattle can be bought at from $3 to 
S5 per head as they run. The usual course is to buy a brand 
including all the cattle to be found in that brand, be they 
more or less. 

The establishment of numerous beef factories in Texas, 
as well as the increase of the business of driving cattle to 
Kansas is yearly adding to the demand. At present, there 
are near 30 packeries in the State, in which*, during the win- 
ter season, from 100 to 500 beeves are slaughtered and pack- 
ed daily. This beef is shipped to the iNorthern and Euro- 
pean markets, and commands say $30 per tierce, besides 
the hides, tallow and horns. The business of beef packing 
is so profitable that it is every year being largely increased. 

During the summer months, when cattle are fat, thous- 
ands upon thousands are slaughtered for their hides, tallow 
and horns. At a cost of $10 to $15 per head, they yield a 
net profit of from 50 to 100 per cent, to the packery in this 
way, while the beef is almost given away to any one who 
may apply. Beef is often offered in the Houston market 
to any who want, at $1 per quarter. 

The limit to the industry of preparing beef for market 
will not nearly be reached when our shipments amount to a 
million of tierces a year, worth, say thirty millions of del- 



STOCK BAmiNG, 43 

lars. Beyond that, it is believed we have the capacity for 
almost indefinitely increasing our production. The reader 
will readily see that there is no danger of raising an over 
supply of cattle, and especially in view of the fact that while 
in no other part of the United States or Europe can beef be 
produced at less than double the cost, here, we can make it 
profitable at one-half the present proceeds. 

Our beef goes to the nations of Europe. Ship-loads are 
sent to the East Indies and China, and the market widens 
yearly with the production. 

But, cattle raising is not all. We have the best range for 
sheep raising in the world, not excepting the plains of Bra- 
zil. From experience of fifteen years, it has been demon- 
strated that Merino wool can be profitably produced in Tex- 
as, at a cost of seven cents per pound. Sheep need more 
attention than cattle, but an experienced manager of sheep, 
with the help of boys, or unskilled assistants, can take care 
of 6000 head. The value of the wool of these 5000 sheep, 
to say nothing of the increase of the flock, is fully $5000 
per year, and the increase at 33 per cent, is worth several 
thousand dollars more. 

Those who have engaged in sheep husbandry have found 
it a direct road to competence. It is believed that all parts 
of the State are well adapted to this business, and especially 
the immediate coast of the bays bordering on the Gulf, and 
the whole region of the hills and mountains. So long as 
New England can keep up the tariff on wools for the salva- 
tion of her flocks, so long will the wool grower of Texas 
have a double advantage. With a climate and pasturage 
every way equal to those of the countries producing the 
cheap wools, against which the Northern farmer requires 
protection, the Texas sheep grower has this northern pro* 
tection to augment his gains. 

Still, inviting as this fleld is, it has its drawbacks. No 
one should undertake to manage a flock of sheen without 
knowing liow. Many have lost money in the attempt* There 



44 GLIMPSES OF TEXAS. 

is so much in the habits and necessities of the sheep, that 
can only be learned by experience, that few succeed who do 
not bring experience to their aid. To the Northern wool 
grower, who has protected his sheep alike from the blasts of 
winter, the evil consequences of weeks and months stamping 
in the mud, the troubles of the scab, and the other evils to 
which they are exposed, and accordingly, who knows how to 
care for sheep, and who withal has the energy to apply his 
experience to the care of his flock ; in Texas, there is no 
field for agricultural pursuits that offers so tempting a pros- 
pect. Those who have not experience or energy, had better 
undertake something else. 

As of sheep and cattle, so of horses. The labor and 
money invested in the raising of horses brings an ample re- 
ward. The demand for blooded stock is annually increas- 
ing, and while horses and mules of the prairie stock may be 
had for a song, it is being demonstrated that it costs but lit- 
tle more to rai^e fine stock, than it does to raise scrubs. A 
horse may be raised to four years old, at a total cost of not 
over $100 at most. A. scrub may be raised at half the money, 
which v/ould not be worth $50 in the market, but your fine 
horse will command his value of $200 to $300. 

So of mules, which, if fine, always command in the spring 
from $100 to $150, and do not cost to raise even as much 
the $50 scrub pony. 

But, it is asked, is there no danger of the' stock raising 
business being overdone ? Not, we think, for fifty years to 
come. Not one-tenth of the stock lands of Texas are yet 
occupied. They are the range of the wild Buffalo, and his 
wilder herdsman, the Indian. Year by year these must 
give way to advancing civilization, and when the whole 
breadth of Texas, capable of supporting beeves, sheep, 
horses, etc., is brought to use, we shall have anywhere 
from twent to fifty millions of beef cattle, and may export 
ten millions a year, at a value of one hundred and fifty mil- 
lions of dollars. We will supply all Christendom, to say 



TEJ'AS LANDS, dc. 45 

nothing of the *^ heathen Chinee," with food, and not half 
exhaust our resources 

This may appear like a vision, but it is all within our 
resources, and all we need is people, and industry and en- 
terprise to make it real. 



VII. 
TEXAS LANDS, &c. 

Prior to 1821, all grants of land in Texas emanated from 
the Spanish crown, extended by the viceroys, or other polit- 
ical authority of the Spanish Government. Few of these, 
however, were made to individuals. Some had been made 
to religious communities, and to towns, up to the breaking 
out of the Mexican revolution. 

Shortly after the establishment of the Republic of Mexicoj 
a general colonization law was passed by the Mexican Con- 
gress, which not only provided for the extension of titles to 
colonists, but also conferred authority on the Mexican States 
to pass laws for the purposes of colonization and to grant 
land, under certain restrictions. 

Accordingly, the State of Coahuila and Texas passed, in 
1824, a colonization law, and under this law most of the 
grants prior to the independence of Texas were made. Any 
grant, however, within ten leagues from the Gulf shore, or 
within twenty leagues from the boundary between Texas 
and the United States, was only permitted to be made by the 
authorities of the General Government of Mexico, and by 
that authority such grants were confined to native Mexicans. 

But, besides the grants to colonists under the law, there 
were many special grants made to Mexicans. These special 
grants were usually for large bodies of land, from three to 
eleven leagues, and have since given rise to litigation in 



1 



46 GLIMPSES OF TEXAS. 

some sections of the State, but this, happily for the country, 
is mostly ended. 

The colonist who was the head of a family received, un- 
der the law, one sitio and one labor of land, or four thous- 
and six hundred and five acres. It may be well here to 
state that a league of land comprises 4428 acres. A sitio 
measured 5000 varas, or one Mexican league on each side, 
hence, the grant is commonly known as a league of land. 
A labor contained 177 acres, and measured 1,000 varas on 
each side. A vara, the Spanish yard, is 33J inches. 

After the independence of Texas was established, the 
young Republic continued to grant land to colonists, giving 
to the head of a family one league and one labor of land, 
and to single persons one-third of a league, or 1476 acres. 
At a later period, the quantity granted was reduced to, first, 
to the head of a family 1280 acres, and to a single person 
640 acres, and finally 640 acres to the head of a family, and 
half that amount to a single person. 

These several grants are styled respectively, 1st, 2d and 
3d class lots, and all grants of the character above spoken 
of, except the special grants to Mexicans, are commonly 
known as head rights. 

Besides these, there were also given to soldiers serving in 
the army of the Republic, 320 acres for each three month^s 
service. These are known as "bounty lands, " and each 
soldier participating in the battle of San Jacinto ^-eceived 
640 acres of land, which are known as '' Donation '' lands, 

The original titles to the several kinds of grant have nearly 
all been deposited in the General Land Office a: Austin, 
where, fortunatel), they are are arranged and preserved for 
future reference. 

The new Constitution of the State of Texas provides that 
*'to every head of a family, who has not a homestead, there 
shall be donated one hundred and sixty acres of land, out 
of the public domun, upon condion that he will select, lo- 
cate and occupy the same for three years, and pay the office 



SCHOOL FUND. 47 

fees on the same. To all single men, twenty-one years of 
age, there shall be donated eighty acres of land, out of the 
public domain." Land certificates, in Texas, are evidences 
of the right of the holder to locate and possess a certain 
number of acres of the public domain, not previously loca- 
ted and patented. They are issued to railroad companies 
upon their construction of so much of their roads as enti- 
tles them to the State grant of lands mentioned in their 
charters, and in this and in other similar ways, are put in 
circulation. They then become an article of trade and spec- 
ulation, their value depending on the state of the market 
and fhe knowledge of parties of valnable unlocated lands 
that are speedily to be developed. The new constitution 
prohibits any farther donation of lands for internal improve- 
ments, and certificates for the future will only be granted in 
pursuance of laws made before its adoption. 

One of the most baneficial provisions of the Texas Con- 
stitution, is the exemption from forced sale of the homestead 
of a family, not exceeding two hundred acres of land (not 
included in any city, town, or village,) or any city, town, or 
village lot, or lots, not to exceed five thousand dollars in 
value at the time of their designation as a homestead, and 
without reference to the value of any improvements thereon. 
These, however, are liable to forced sale for purchase money 
due, and unpaid taxes, or labor and materials. 



IX. 

^SCHOOL FUND, &c. 

When we consider the comparative youth of the State of 
Texas, its immense expanse of territory, and the sparse- 
ness of its population, it will scarcely be expected that as 
yet we should have a well digested public school system in 
practical operation. Our law makers, however, have not 
3 



48 GLIJUPSES OF TEJTAS. 

lost sight of the necessity of systematic mental culture, and 
the Legislature of Texas, from time to time, has been of a 
character making ample provision for this great element of 
State progress. 

After annexation to the United States, a portion of the 
territory of Texas was ceded to the United States for a con- 
sideration of $10,000,000, a moiety of which was set apart 
for school purposes. Among the early statutory enactments 
of the State, we find one donating three leagues of land for 
school purposes to each county, and another donating four 
leagues, looking to the same object, with partial provisions 
for carrying out the details of these laws. 

The Constitution of Texas, Article IX, Section 6th, pro- 
vides that " all the funds, lands, or other property hereto- 
fore set apart and appropriated, or that may be hereafter set 
apart and appropriated, for the support and maintenance 
of Public Schools, shall constitute the Public School Fund, 
/ind all sums of money that may come to this State hereaf- 
ter, from the sale of any portion of the public domain of 
the State of Texas, shall also constitute apart of the Public 
School Fund. And the Legislature shall appropriate all the 
proceeds resulting from sales of public lands of this State 
to such Public School Fund. And the Legislature shall set 
apart, for the benefit of Public Schools, one-fourth of the 
annual revenue derivable from general taxation ; and shall 
also causft to be levied and collected, an annual poll tax of 
one dollar, on all male persons in this State, between the 
ages of twenty- one and sixty years, for the benefit of Public 
Schools. And said fund and the income derived therefrom, 
and the taxes herein provided for school purposes, shall be 
a perpetual fund, to be applied as needed, exclusively for 
the education of all ihe scholastic inhabitants of this State ; 
and no law shall ever be made, appropriating such fund for 
any other use or purpose whatsoever." 

Though, as above observed, it has heretofore been found 
impracticable to adopt and carry out a thorough public school 
system, still the cause of education has not been entirely 



STATE FAIR. 49 

neglected. Schools have been left to the guardianship of the 
county courts, and private institutions of learning stubstan- 
tially encouraged, and wherever teachers of private schools 
have furnished instruction to the indigent poor, they have 
been paid out of the interest on such public school fund due 
the county. With our magnificent school fund as a basis, 
with such a large and valuable portion of the public domain 
set apart for school purposes, and with the proportion of our 
taxation, which is set apart to increase the school fund, it 
will readily be perceived that Texas can establish a school 
system second to none in the country, and that with enlight- 
ened legislation, that wished for consummation will soon be 
effected. 

The wisdom of the provision locating sch-ool lands in the 
counties they are intended to benefit, will be the more fully 
appreciated when the development and increased popula- 
tion of these counties render schools an absolute necessity, 
and these necessarily enhance the value of the school lands, 
and increase the amount of the School Fiind. 



X. 

STATE FAIR OF TEXAS. 

Last May our First Annual State Fair was held in Hous. 
ton, under the auspices of the Agricultural, Mechanical and 
Blood Stock Association. It was extremely gratifying to 
the projectors of the enterprise to find it a success far be- 
yond their most sanguine expectations. Forty thousand vis- 
iters witnessed their truly magnificent display of the pro- 
ducts of Art, Agriculture and Manufacture. The Associ- 
ation has purchased eighty acres of ground in the city, and 
these are being prepared for the purposes of a Pa/k and 
Fair Ground, in a style that will render it second to none in 
the South. The buildings will be commodious, and the ac- 
commodations for machinery, stock, &c., complete. 



50 GLIMPSES OF TEJTAS, 

Within the enclosure there will be a race track of a mile, 
and this, with other drives and roads, will furnish a three 
mile drive. The grounds, in charge of a skillful and compe- 
tent engineer, are being elegantly laid off and planted with 
shrubbery, and will be made a place of permanent resort. 

The next Fair will commence on the 22d of May, and 
will continue six days. The premium list is large and lib- 
eral. Great preparations are being made to make the occa- 
sion the most interesting and improving of any that has ever 
oc3urred in the Southwest. 

The season is the pleasantest in the year, and persons 
from abroad who wish to visit Texas, should time their trip 
so as to take the State Fair in it. No such opportunity ever 
occurs to see the people of Texas, to note their progress in 
Agriculture, Art and Manufacture ; to see what they are 
doing, and what they are capable of. 

The attendance will be large, but Houston will endeavor 
to accommodate all who come. 



XI. 

THE FUTURE GREAT LUMBER MARKET OF 

TEXAS, 

While referring to the great resources of Texas, her in- 
terests, her products, and her openings for trade, perhaps 
no subject is more entitled to consideration, than the Lum- 
ber Trade. Her forests will abundantly supply all her pros- 
pective wants, and the deficit of timber, for building and 
manufacturing purposes in Northwestern and Western Tex- 
as, will readily be supplied from the magnificent growths of 
timber to be found adjacent to and east of Houston. This 
country will furnish more than enough timber for our own 
State and part of the adjacent territory, whether required 
for ordinary building purposes, ship-building, barrel-making 
or the manufacture of wagons, agricultural implements, &c. 



X tTMBER MAUl^ET. 51 

This interest must perforce keep pace with the increase 
of our railroad facilities. With railroads radiating from 
Houston in all directions, and penetrating all parts of our 
State, and with the advantage of receiving supplies, whether 
by rail or water communications, within the very precincts 
of Houston, this trade must of necessity become an impor- 
tant item in the commercial economy of our State. 

Our steamboats, barges, &c., are now built almost exclu* 
sively on the Western rivers, at Louisville, Pittsburg, Cin- 
cinnati, and other cities, and our railroad coaches are chiefly 
supplied from sources outside the limits of our State, and 
yet the material, location, and all the requisites for the con- 
struction of all these are ready at our hands, and invite suc- 
cessful speculation. This needs no elucidation. Manufac- 
turers can afford to pay more than the current prices in the 
east for skilled labor, and this will be more than counter- 
balanced, and successful competition ensured, by the cheap- 
ness of material and the saving in transportation. What we 
said of the '^ Big Thicket" in connection with the subject 
of barrel- making, &c., applies with equal force to the sub- 
ject of ship and car-building. 

No discussion of this subject will prove as satisfactory as 
a simple consultation of the Map of Texas, noting her pre- 
sent railroads and those in course of construction, observ- 
ing her water courses, and duly considering what necessi- 
ties must keep pace with, and follow the construction of her 
railroads and the navigation of her water courses. 

Houston, situated in an intermediate position, with the 
vast timber lands of Texas east of her parallel, and the vast 
expanse of country where that timber can and will be util- 
ised west of that parallel, and being already the great rail- 
road centre of Texas withal, must become the great central 
depot for the lumber trade of Texas. That trade with all 
others will increase with^the progress of our railroads, and 
for every ten miles further into the interior of the State that 
the ^' iron horse" finds his way, millions of feet of lumber 
will beVequired to'relieve the necessities he has created. 



^2 BLiMPiSm OF MX^aS. 

XII. • 

OfTY OF HOUSTON. 

The City of Houston, the great railroad centre, and once 
the Capital c^ the Republic of Texas, is situated at the head 
of navigation on Buffalo Bayou, 60 miles from the Gulf of 
Mexico. Its poptilation approximates 15,000, and is in- 
creasing rapidly. With Galveston, it shares the trade of 
more than half of this great State, and the railroads that 
are now being so rapidly constructed are constantly enlarg- 
ing its field of resources. For enterprise, intelligence, thrift 
and wealth, it ig not surpassed by any city in the South- 
west. As a manufacturing city, it is rapidly increasing in 
importance. Its advantages in this respect are numerous. 
Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou, the former running 
through the city from east to west, furnish water without 
limit, and the forests adjacent to Houston furnish inexhaust- 
ible supplies of cheap fael. Lumber for all the purposes of 
manufacture is directly accessible to Houston. We may 
here state upon the authority of a reliable and experienced 
mechanical engineer, that the water of Buffalo Bayou is, 
with one exception, superior to the water of any other 
stream in the United .States for generating steam. The ex- 
planation of this is found in the fact that the water of Buffalo 
Bayoti is pu>e rain water, the bayou being the outlet of a 
vast surface drainagej'and not having its source in any spring, 
the water is thus free from mineral or saline properties that 
would tend to impair its efficiency for mechanical purposes. 
The laborer or operative can live at Houston at less ex. 
pense than ift afly other city of the Union. Rents are very 
reasonable, and animal food can be had at prices which 
would seem to scarcely pay for the labor of slaughtering. 
Beef, of the choicest character, is obtainable in our market 
at from 2J to 5 cents per pound, and flour will decrease in 
price as our products come into the market. Add to this, 
that oar climjaie is so genial and so uniform that less cloth- 



CITT OF HOtfSTOJ^. 58 

ing, and clothing of a less expensive character, is required 
than in the countries north of us, and this, to the laborer 
and operative, will prove an important saving when he esti- 
mates his yearly expenses. During the winter he need ex- 
pend but little for wood and coal, the temperature being so 
moderate as to render fuel rarely necessary except for pur- 
poses of cooking. 

During the summer the range of the thermometer averages 
at least ten degrees lower than about the New York City 
parallel, a fact that is attributable to our delightful sea 
breezes, and the laborer pursuing his avocation and shielded 
from the rays of the sun, is as comfortable as in any other 
part of the United States, during the hottest of the summer 
season. 

The following railroads now centre in Houston : 

The Houston and Texas Central, which will soon tap the 
great wheat growing districts of Texas, and necessitate the 
construction of flouring mills, for which the banks of Buf- 
falo Bayou are admirably adapted ; the Houston and Great 
Northern, which penetrates the great timbered regions of 
Texas and will give us all the oak, cypress, &c., required 
for manufacturing purposes ; the Houston Tap and Brazoria 
Railroad, readily furnishing us with the proauct of the sugar 
plantations ; and through connection with that, the Galves- 
ton, Houston and San Antonio Railroad, facilitating the 
transportation of the immense wool product of Western 
Texas to a ready market ; the Texas and New Orleans Rail- 
road, (which will probably soon form a portion of the Chat- 
tanooga and New Orleans Railroad, now being rapidly con- 
structed,) linking Houston to the magnificent pineries of the 
Neches, Sabine and Calcasieu rivers ; and the Galveston, 
Houston and Henderson lYailroad, connecting us with the 
City of Galveston. The lines of railroad now centering in 
Houston and in operation, extend 500 miles. 

The country tapped and to be tapped by these railroads^ 
is unsurpassed in fertility, inexhaustible in resources and 
increasing rapidly in population. 



54 GLIMPSES OF TEJtAS. 

The water communication of Houston with the sea ig 
through BufiFalo Bayou, 36 miles to Galveston Bay ; thence 
through th© bay, 25 miles to the Gnlf of Mexico. From its 
mouth to the corporate limits of Houston, the Bayou varies 
in width from 105 to 600 feet, and a depth of from 9 to 30 
feet. From the mouth of the Bayou to the outer bar of Gal- 
veston Bay, the water is ample for vessels drawing less than 
9 feet, except at Red Fish bar and Clopper's bar. Red Fish 
bar is about three-quarters of a mile long with about five 
feet of water, and Clopper's bar extends for about 4 miles, 
with an average depth of four feet water. 

In order to secare to Houston the full benefit of her tide, 
water, a number of her citizens organized the Buffalo Bayou 
Ship Channel Company, having for its object the opening of 
a Ship Channel to the Gulf of Mexico. This company has 
received from the City of Houston a lease of its privileges 
to collect tolls and wharfages on Buffalo ^ayou within the 
city limits during the period of 50 years. The company has 
been actively at work for over a year, and has now employed 
two powerful dredge-boats, with tug-boats, dump-flats and 
other construction material, and the progress already made 
gives promise of improved navigation at an early day. In 
order to avoid the long and tortuous navigation through 
Clopper's Bar, the company has constructed a canal through 
Morgan's Point, at the junction of the San Jacinto river 
with GaWeston Bay. Morgan's Point is about four feet 
above the level of Galveston Bay, and 2,050 feet wide at 
the point of construction. The first cut of this canal has 
been completed to a depth of six feet. The work of widen- 
ing and deepening will be prosecuted with vigor this season, 
and it is expected that the canal will be opened to trade this 
fall. 

The estimated cost of a 9 feet channel from the Gulf of 
Mexico to the foot of Main street, Houston, according: to the 
report of a survey made by authority to the City of Hous- 
ton, is $760,045 ; of an 11 feet channel, $1,109,872, and of 
a 13 feet channel, $1,819,720. This estimate includes dredg- 



CITY OF HOUSTON. 55 

iiigbars and the bay, cutting canal througli Morgan's Point, 
widening a portion of Buffalo Bayou above the town of 
Harrisburg, constructing wharves, &c. 

Considering the results that must necessarily follow the 
completion of this great enterprise, the energetic character 
of the citizens of Houston engaged in it, and the profits and 
business advantages that will accrue from its completion, 
this work will doubtless prove a success. It will bring sea- 
going vessels 60 miles nearer to the interior, cheapen 
freights millions annually, and resist the tendency of rail- 
roads to carry our products in an easterly direction. 

The commerce of Houston is principally carried on 
through the medium of the Houston Direct Navigation 
Company, a corporation composed of wealthy citizens of 
Houston. This company gives through bills of lading to 
and from New York, Liverpool and other ports. The com- 
pany owns steamers, tugs, lighters, barges, &c., and vessels 
from abroad are met off Galveston, and their cargoes trans- 
ferred direct to Houston. 

A wide market, ready transportation, and a convenient 
source of supply invariably give birth to manufacturing en- 
terprises. These elements of success are most happily 
grouped together at Houston. Two cotton manufactories — 
the Houston City Mills and the Eureka Mills — have been 
already established here. The citizens of Houston have in- 
vested more than $300,000, in gold, in them. Each turns 
out about 2,500 yards of cotton goods per day, for which 
they find a ready market. These mills already require en- 
largement. Both have cotton gins attached, and purchase 
cotton '^ in the seed," paying therefor liberal prices, and 
affording a ready market for the cotton raised in this imme- 
diate vicinity. The demand created by these mills, and the 
ready market afforded by them for this staple, should mate- 
rially stimulate the production of cotton in the vicinity of 
Houston. There are three large Iron Foundries in Hous- 
ton and one in course of construction. Those in operation 



56 GLIMPSES OF TEXAS, 

turn out excellent work, and are doing a profitable business. 
The premium for the best steam engine was awarded at the 
last State Fair to one of these establishments. There is 
one Car Factory, turning out an average of three cars per 
day. Passenger cars are made at this establishment equal 
in beauty, finish and durability to any made in the United 
States. We have also several Carriage and Wagon facto- 
ries. The demand for these articles is large and a ready 
sale is found for all that can be made. The premium for 
the best buggy exhibited at the Texas State Fair, in 1870, 
was awarded to a Houston firm, notwithstanding the fact 
that the celebrated ^'Concord'' entered into competition. 
Several large soap and candle factories have been estab- 
lished here. A firm from Chicago has recently embarked 
largely in this business. Considering how readily tallow 
and the other articles necessary in this trade can be supplied 
in this city, there can be no question as to her capacity to 
successfully compete with any rival in this business ; and 
ere long Houston and all Texas will be entirely independ- 
ent of northern factories for these articles. The firm alluded 
to will require, for soap alone, not less than 400 boxes per 
day, in the construction of which the consumption of lumber 
will not be inconsiderable. 

As an evidence of Houston energy and enterprise, we may 
notice the Texas Lumber and Mamifaduring Company, to 
which a charter has recently been granted, having for its 
object the purchase of timbered lands in any portion of the 
State, and erecting saw and shingle mills thereon, as also 
the establishment of large factories in the City of Houston 
with a view to general manufacturing, but especially for the 
construction of railroad cars. This is an enterprise that 
must commend itself to the public, and one that will doubt- 
less prove successful, as it is in the hands of safe and active 
business men. 

There are two planing mills and door, sash and blind 
factories in Houston, and eight Brick Yards. Besides sup- 



CITY OP BOVSTON, 57 

plying her own market and much of the interior with bricks, 
millions are annually shipped to Galveston, that city being 
almost entirely supplied with bricks from the Houston brick 
yards. In the vicinity several beef packeries have been 
established. In one of these, during the past season, an 
average of two hundred beeves per day was slaughtered. 
Beef is packed in tierces and shipped to the Northern and 
European markets. 

Among the new enterprises of Houston we fesl called 
upon to notice the establishment of Messrs. Clapp, Bridg- 
man & Co., where beef is prepared according to the Lyman 
process. The finest beeves are selected for slaughter, and 
as soon as the meat is dressed it is cut from the bone, let 
down into a vacuum where the air is exhausted, and the 
meat cooled by its own evaporation down to about 40°. 
Here, in about five minutes, it is deprived of its animal 
heat, and more of the ammonia and other filthy products of 
the normal waste than would escape from it while hanging 
for as many days in the purest cool air. From the vacuum 
it is passed to the oven, through which it passes on platforms 
carried by endless chains, in three to four hours A brisk 
current of warm air, 160° to 180°, is kept rising through 
the oven. The juices from the tiers above flow down upon 
those below, and no part of the soup-forming element is 
lost, the whole of the extract being concentrated in the 
meat. From this, while warm, it is passed through cast- 
steel cutters, then pressed by machinery into air tight cans 
and sealed up. It is then placed in boiling water, when the 
cans are hoisted out and pricked, and the air and steam al- 
lowed to escape, then soldered and again kept in boiling 
water for three or four hours, when the process of preser- 
vation is complete. The meat thus preserves all the juices 
and nutriment, and is either served up warm, or eaten cold 
as a lunch. It is also ready for use in making mince meat. 
Cleanliness and neatness are particularly observable in the 
whole process. The capacity of the establishment is now 
from twenty- five to thirty beeves per day, which can easily 



58 GLIMPSES OF lEJTAS. 

be increased to one hundred. In addition, this establish- 
ment is also manufacturing bone dust and super-phosphates 
for home consumption and shipment abroad. 

Houston is fast becoming a very important cattle market. 
As soon as its railroad communications with New Orleans 
are complete, that city can be supplied with Texas beeves, 
fat and fresh from the prairies, at fifteen hours notice, and 
the expense of pasturing or fattening after they arrive at 
their destination avoided. The completion of the Houston 
and Great Northern Railroad will almost plac3 Texas beeves 
in the Chicago market at a day's notice. 

We have three breweries, in which superior ale and la- 
ger beer are manufactured. Though these liquors are im- 
ported into the State to a considerable extent, still our local 
breweries are well supported, and ship their product to va- 
rious portions of the interior. 

There is, also, an extensive candy manufactory, whose 
trade extends over a great portion of the State. 

It is only during the past few years that horticulture has 
received any particular attention in Texas, but the results 
already attained clearly attest the fact, that almost every 
variety of fruit will eventually find a congenial home in our 
State. Where the pecan, the plum, the cherry, the grape, 
the strawberry, the currant, and the blackberry grow wild, 
it is but reasonable to suppose that hybridized varieties will 
succeed as well, or better by improved systems of culture. 
We feel assured that the day is not far distant when hybrid- 
ized grapes of Texas and foreign crosses will be produced 
in Texas, and Texas will rival the world in fine grapes. 
From Houston to Red River on the North, and from Nacog- 
doches to El Paso on the West, the country is full of fine 
native varieties, introduced and acclimated by the Jesuits 
one hundred years ago. 

At the establishment of Mr. A, Whitaker, Houston, may 
be seen fruit trees of nearly every description, axong others 
peach, pear, nectarine, and apricot trees of several rare va- 



CITY OF HO VSTOK 59 

rieties. He cultivates a dozen varieties of cherries, besides 
English and American walnuts, filberts, chestnuts, and mil- 
lions of strawberry plants, blackberries, raspberries, goose- 
berries, and every variety of grapes, whether for the table 
or for wine. During the very month when, in other coun- 
tries, everything is being got into winter quarters, in his 
establishment peas, beans, beets, parsnips, cabbage, spinach, 
kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, sea-kale, rhubarb, on- 
ions, cress, radishes, cauliflowers, turnips, mangel wurtzel, 
sage, thyme and other seed of minor note, are being sowed 
for winter and early spring use. 

Houston boasts of one of the finest hotels in the Southern 
country, modern in all its appointments, and fully up to the 
standard of a first class public house. The Masonic Tem- 
ple, an imposing structure^ is rapidly approaching comple- 
tion. The Grand Lodge has its annual meeting here in the 
early part of June of each year. There are three banking 
institutions in Houston, viz : the First National Bank of 
Houston, the City Bank of Houston, and the banking house 
of T. W. House. These banks check on all the principal 
cities of the United States, and the money centres of Eu- 
rope. Besides these, the Bayou City Bank, recently char- 
tered, is about to be organized. There are two fire insu- 
rance companies in Houston, viz: The Houston Insurance 
Company, and the Planter's Mutual Insurance Company. 
They are owned and controlled by the most reliable men in 
the city, and deserve the patronage of the whole State, of 
which they are receiving a liberal proportion. There are 
three daily newspapers published in Houston, viz : the 
Telegraph and the Times j Democratic, and the Union, Re- 
publican. In addition to these, we have the Texas Baptist 
Herald and the Volksblatt, both weeklies, and the Temper- 
ance Family Visitor, a semi-monthly. 

There is also, separate from the newspaper establishments, 
a large job printing office and book bindery — perhaps the 
best in the State — from which some of the finest specimens 



60 GLIMPSES OF TEXAS. 

of printing We have ever seen have been turned out, and 
blank books which compare favorably with an}' manufac- 
tured elsewhere. 

Nearly all the Christian denominations have large and 
handsome churches, and the Israelites are now building an 
imposing Synagogue. The new Catholic Cathedral, now 
approaching completion, will be an ornament to the city. 

The health of the City of Houston is excellent. Even 
with the mortality of an occasional epidemic added, it is 
doubtful if any city in the Union can show a cleaner bill of 
health. When our railroad communications are complete, 
and a rigid quarantine can be enforced, epidemics will 
doubtless disappear. 

Gas is used for illumination, an excellent article being 
furnished by the Houston Gas Light Company. Ice is man- 
ufactured in Houston, and is generally prefered to North- 
ern ice. . 

There are many fine openings for enterprise and capital 
in Houston. It will support several cotton and woolen 
mills more than are now in operation, as more than four- 
fifths of those fabrics, now sold in Houston, are manufac- 
tured outside of the State, while the supply of raw material, 
necessary in their manufacture, constitutes the great bulk 
of our exports. No better or safer investment of capital 
could be made than the establishment of a sugar refinery 
at Houston. The import of refined sugar, during the year 
1870, at Galveston alone, amounted to 13,468 barrels. A 
refinery at Houston could be supplied with Texas sugars to 
an almost unlimited extent, and the State supplied with 
manufactured sugar from its own yield, thereby saving the 
expense of freight on lower grades of sugar to the refine- 
ries in other States, and the addiiional expense of freight 
on the refined article back to Texas. The great sugar dis- 
trict of Texas is but a short distance from Houston, and is 
connected with it by two railroads, which are now in active 
operation. But, if we had not this boundless source of 
supply, and were obliged to import our unrefined sugars 
from Louisiana and the West Indies, a sugar refinery in 



CITY OF HO USTON. 61 

Houston, (a place so eligibly situated for the shipment of 
that article, through her railroads in all directions ) could 
not fail to be a success, as even then she would have the 
advantage of saving one freight and other incidental ex- 
penses. This alone would be a considerable profit, as the 
freight and insurance on sugar from New York to Houston 
averages $1 50 per barrel. 

Houston will support a rolling mill and more foundries and 
machine shops. All the locomotives, trucks and other roll- 
ing stock for our railroads could be made here with profit. 
The Houston and Great Northern Railroad will soon open 
up the great coal and iron resources of Eastern Texas. It 
will penetrate Cherokee, one of the counties of Texas rich 
in iron, and in which iron works are to some extent carried 
on. 

Manufactories of wood and willow ware and brooms . 
would be well sustained. The import of these articles into 
the State is very large, and Houston presents a fine opening 
for this trade, even if commenced with a small capital. 

As the Central Railroad and its branches will soon tap 
the great wheat region of Texas, and thus pour millions of 
bushels of wheat into Houston, flouring mills will be an 
absolute necessity. There is not a flouring mill in the city 
at present. Fronts on Buffalo Bayou, most eligibly situated 
for flouring mills, and directly on the railroads, can be pur- 
chased now at very reasonable figures. Every facility for 
the business is here afforded. By the railroads the wheat 
can be transported to Houston, placed in the mills on the 
banks of Buffalo Bayou, by means of elevators, there con. 
verted into flour and placed on shipboard, burdened with 
no expenses for re handling and drayage. Surrounded with 
advantages for this trade, Houston must become one of the 
great flour markets of the world. 

1 he demand for barrels and tierces for the beef packcrits 
as well as for flour is and will be great, and the timber 
necessary in their construction can be readily supplied from 



62 GLIMPSES OF TEJTAS, 

the fine belts of timber adjacent to Houston. Barrel facto- 
ries are much needed, and would yield good profits. In the 
eastern portion of Harris county, on the banks of the San 
Jacinto river, and in the ^' Big Thicket," fine white oak 
timber is to be found in inexhaustible supplies. 

We annually export over a million hides, which are par- 
tially returned to us in shoes and leather. Texas should 
be a large leather exporting State, yet there are no tanne- 
ries in the State, unless of very insignificant proportions. 
Trees rich in tannin are found in various portions of the 
State. The mesquit, which grows in immense quantities 
west of the Colorado, is said to be richer in tannin than any 
other tree in the world. 

More than one hundred newspapers are published in 
Texas, yet there is not a paper mill in the State. The 
patronage of these papers would soon enrich such an estab- 
lishment. Houston is the best point for such an enterprise, 
owing to its easy access to every portion of the State. 

Manufactories of agricultural implements could not fail 
to succeed in Houston. No factories of this character exist 
in the State, except on a very small scale. 

The steamboats and barges employed in the trade of 
Housbon have been heretofore furnished by Cincinnati and 
Louisville. Houston presents an admirable opening for 
ship-building, live oak and white oak may be had near the 
city. 

All these and kindred enterprises will be welcomed in 
Houston, and perhaps no better occasion will be found for 
embarking in them than the present. Lands in Houston 
and the vicinity thereof, can now be obtained at reasonable 
prices, and as a general thing are not held at prospective 
valuations. That their prices will advance with the pro- 
gress of our railroads and the rapid increase of Houston in 
wealth and population, are but reasonable predictions. 



HARRIS COUNTY. gg 

XIII. 

HARRIS COUNTY. 

This is one of the very best counties of Texas. Others 
may be richer in lands, and offer a more diversified and 
beautiful scenery, but these are more than counterbalanced 
by the many other advantages possessed by Harris county. 
The immigrant, whether his aim be to engage in the cultiva- 
tion of the soil, or commerce, or manufactures, should not 
pass it by without considering the advantages offered by it. 

There is 7io portion of the county more than fifteen miles 
from either navigable water or railroads^ hence, lohatever is 
produced for sale is conveyed to market ivith little expense . 

Harris county lies principally between 29J° and 30'^ lat- 
itude, and 18° and 19° longitude. It is in the very heart of 
the most productive and populous region of Texas. Its 
area is about 1840 square miles, and is an inclined plane, 
sloping to the Gulf or Galveston Bay, giving complete drain- 
age, so that no swamps are found within its limits. 

On the south it is washed by Galveston Bay, and the nav- 
igable waters of Buffalo Bayou and San Jacinto river flow 
through it — the first through the centre of the county, most- 
ly west to east, and the other through its entire eastern por- 
tion. 

There are also numerous large creeks and bayous flowing 
through every portion of the county. Spring Creek, Clear 
Creek, and Cypress Creek, particularly, are large, fine, bold- 
running streams of beautifully clear water, capable of turn- 
ing an immense amount of machinery. 

About one-sixth of this county, perhaps 300 square mllos, 
is covered with timber ; the growth being pine, oak, hickory, 
pecan, magnolia^ cypress, cedar, elm, and many other vari- 
eties of timber. The banks of the streams are generally 
well timbered, and the prairies are dotted with islands, or 
mots of timber. 

The soils of the "bottoms" is a deep alluvion, except 



^ , GLIMPSES OF TF'XAS, 

b4 

near Galveston Bay, where it is a rich and very productive 

sandy loam. , i 

The soil of the prairies is less fertile, but improves by cul^ 
tivaUon without Ihe application of fcrtihzers^ Each c op 
produced upon these lands is an improvement on the one 

'^ThfreLt of this is that these lands, in their primitive 
.V nrP^enerally of a stiff nature, and are cold, h.rd 
condition, are generally oi <!=. > -n-vrvfismre to 

and cloddy when first turned up by the plow. Exposure to 
the sun and atmosphere softens the texture, renders them 
the sun ana a p ^^^ ^^tter turned under.in- 

porous, nd tb« decayo . ^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^^_ 

rSl b^^ot^inafTw^s^ 

oTe, aUays amply repaying the tiller for his trouble. 

These lands also have a remarkable resistance to drouth, 
win deeply turned up in the winter, the severest drouth 
Toes not much affect the yield- Cotton, particularly, scarce 
ly feels it at all. . j- . i„ „„ 

The soil of the pine lands is light, except imnydutely on 
V. f Vnonrses but having a subsoil of clay, from six in. 
ts" twofretund r the surface, they improve greatly 
wiMoprdtation. They have their advantage in their 
rsySla'gcandin good or average seasons, always yield 
profitable crops of cotton, corn, potatoes, &c. 

The southern portion ot the county, bordering on San 

Jac^ and Galv'eston Bays, is an exceedingly desirable 

ntrv Indeed, we know of no locality that is more inv . 

r; Bsiimate'is almost perpetual spring. The soil is 

easy of cultivation, rich and productive. 

Fish and oysters abound, and in winter the waters swarm 
wiU wi d fowl Society is excellent ; the people general y 
r ! Iv in.elligent and in comfoitable circumstances, ^ou- 
• S „r the excellence of the soil, climate, and society in 
Tht ^rtL: otllar-is county, it is believed that before many 
years it will be thickly settled. 



Maoris county. 09 

buffalo bayou lands. 

This stream flows nearly through the centre of the county 
from West to East. It is the most important navigable 
stream in Texas. The banks are heavily timbered nearly to 
its mouth. The soil along its whols course, with the excep- 
tion of a poor spot here and there, where there is too much 
sand, is rich and exceedingly productive. 

It is the paradise of the small farmer and market gar' 
dener, on account of the productiveness of the soil and the 
ease with which its products may be conveyed to market. 

The genial climate enabling him to have growing crops of 
some sort yielding their fruits all the year round. 

Irish potatoes produce two crops a year on the same land 
— the first planted in January or February, and the second 
in August or September. The same may be said of several 
other vegetables, and many varieties may be had on the ta- 
ble fresh from the garden, every day of the year. 

Another source of profit to the dweller or settler along the 
Bayou, is the sale of wood tor fuel to the steamers constant- 
ly passing his place, and furnishing it to the Galveston and 
Houston markets- This trade and the profits on timbered 
lands purchased now^ must increase with the increased nav- 
igation of Galveston Bay and Buffalo Bayou. 

No country offers more inducements to the small farmer. 
We can indicate several families, who, starting without cap- 
ital, have become independent in a few years by small farm- 
ing and gardening. Proximity to markets is the explanation 
of their success. 

An acquaintance of our's purchased last year 1000 acres 
of land on the Bayou, with some improvements. Early in 
the spring he planted ten acres in irish potatoes. This crop 
alone netted him $1200 in gold. His second crop netted 
over $500. He planted in August five acres in turnips, and 
from these realized $1000 1 Himself and two young sons did 
all the work. 

The location of these lands, independent of their agri- 



gg GLIMPSES OF T^AS, 

cultura advantages, must occasion their rapid increase in 
value. 

Bufifalo Bay on, on both sides, will, before the lapse of 
many years, be lined with manufacturing establishments, 
flouring mills, cotton and woolen mills, beef packeries, &c., 
and the whole Bayou front, from Houston to Harrisburg, a 
distance of nearly seven and a half miles, will be required 
for wharves to accommodate the trade of the immense em- 
pire we are fast becoming. 

This is no vague, hap-hazard prediction. We are justi- 
fied in by the fact that the germ of these enterprises has 
already been successfully planted, and is rapidly developing* 
Manufactures of the character above indicated are already 
an established fact in this locality, and their number and 
variety is constantly on the increase- 

If Houston and Texas continue to move forward in the 
scale of progress as rapidly as during the last decade — un- 
favorable as that decade has been — not the life of one gene- 
ration will pass away before this will be verified. 

Health is good all along the Bayou, as it is everywhere in 
Harris county. 

PRODUCTS OF SOIL, 

Nearly every product of Texas can be raised in Harris 
county. Rye, oats and barley do well, though neither is 
much cultivated. The yield of barley may be estimated at 
50 bushels to the acre. The great staples, corn and cotton 
yield well in'"every portion of the county, except the poorest, 
pine lands. 

The yield of corn ranges all the way from 15 to 50 bush- 
els according to soil and cultivation. Thirty bushels may 
be given as the average, with rather a loose habit of culti- 
vation. 

Cotton, in favorable seasons, may be depended upon for 
very nearly or quite a bale of 500 lbs to the acre. 

Cotton raised in Harris county can be readily sold at the 



* HARRIS COTTNTT. 6T 

mills in Houston, where it commands good prices in the 
seed. It is preferred by the manufacturers in this condition. 
This is especially advantageous to the small farmers, who 
can commence to realize his receipts from his crops as early 
as July, and is moreover saved the expenditure necessary 
to the erection of a gin-house, or the tax incident to ginning. 
One days' picking can be converted into cash on the next, 
and all commissions, expenses of storage, &c., saved to the 
producer. 

SEA ISLAND COTTON 

Is cultivated with great success along the bays, and there 
is little doubt that it would do almost equally as well in any 
portion of Harris county suitable to the growth of upland 
cotton. Cotton of this variety, raised in Harris county, sold 
in Liverpool last year, at 48d to 55d, or 96c. to $1 10 per 
pound. 

All varieties of garden vegetables do well in Harris 
county. 

The farming season embraces almost the entire year. 
Planting for field crops begins the last of January or first 
of February, and vegetation is seldom checked by frost 
until late in November. The first frost of 1870 came on 
the 18th November. 

For flowers, we do not think there is a country in the 
world that can surpass Texas, and particularly this portion 
of it. 

All the fruits that we have named elsewhere succeed to 
perfection in Harris county. The orange needs protection 
until it is three years old, when it is able to take care of 
itself. 

PRICE OF LANDS OF IIARIIIS COUNTY. 

Lands fronting on Buffalo Bayou, below Harrisburg, are 
held at an average of $5 per acre — some more, some less, 
according to location, improvement, &c. Between Houston 
and Harrisburg they range from $20 to $50. In all other 



GLIMPSES OF lESAS. 

68 

portions of *e county they can be bought at a dollar to five 

dollars per acre. ^^^ ^^^ut 8000, 

The rural population of Harm county ^^ ^^^ 

^^^^^^* 1 . i- fi.. r^vn(1nots of Harris county is 

The principal market for ^^ P-^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^,,, of Texas. 
Houston, the county seat, and greatrailroa 

XIV. 

SOCIETY IN TEXAS. 

so much ^-pp^ehen^on e^st.n v^^^^^^^^ 
the state of society m Texas, f^^.^\ of argument and 
merits attention at our hanas^ an^ - h.u J^^^ ^^^^^^ 

discussion, we P-^^f^^'^f JX^Hng him to view these 
and common sense of '^'^fZT^^ connection with a 
unpleasant reflections on our people ^ ^^^^^^^ 

consideration of our immense expan^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ 

gress we are making in the '^^'^^ , • ; interest, and 
L-yieldfromour -Sr^^-^^^^'^''^2tZtZ^ fiftv dollars 

--^rmirtvt"-"-^^^^^ 

rnrrr'hl^^-.uestion,wh^^^^^^^^ 

-S;::rd%rra::r^^ 

disregard of the o^/--^<=^^^ ^V^^fo'clety ol Texas is not 

We are P^^^^o^f TxcSre- o ro'ther States of our 

behind the f "^^"^f, f ?\t Jp--" -^ °^ ^''^'''' "' 

:^::n^:trd,t/t a Jn^^^^^^ 

St-:Str:ileo^e::s.evoltingcrimes. 



SOCIETY W ^J^^^^' 6^ 

that are found on the criminal calendars of othcf Stated, 
never stain the dockets of our courts. Outrage, arson, for- 
gery, swindling, and malicious mischief, rarely occur in 
Texas. 

It is true, that in some of the very remote and sparsely 
settled districts, what is popularly known as "mob-law," 
may sometimes crop out. But, in this connection, we must 
consider that the scarcity of population renders an adequate 
police system impracticable, and that the victims of this 
violence are almost invariably men, who, by their crimes, 
have put thenibelves outside the pale of society, which for 
for its own preservation, evolves a kind of justice, '^ rough 
hewn" though it be. Moreover, the fullest respect for con- 
stituted authority could hardly be exjDected of a people who 
have had as many mutations in government, as Texans have 
had during the past history of their State. We submit, 
however, that even if a considerable portion of the people 
of Texas were not law-abiding, in conduct and character, 
their influence would speedily be checked by our progress, 
development and swelling tide of immigration, which always 
necessarily ensure a due regard for security, protection and 
morality. 

The immigrants to Texas, from our own country, have al- 
most invariably been men of industrious habits, good morals, 
and above the average in intelligence, while our foreign im- 
migration has been drawn exclusively from the classes always 
accustomed to labor, and therefore inexperienced in vice 
and crime. Such is the class of people with which Texas 
was^ and is being populated, and instead of making Texas 
an asylum and a sanctuary for the lawless and vicious, their 
influences are advancing Texas to the very highest standard 
progress, refinement and elegance. 

This is abundantly evidenced in our rural districts, but the 
most convincing proof of it is our larger municipalities, 
which for peace and quiet, a due regard for religion and ed- 
ucation, and cultivation of literary and other refined tastes, 
are second to no cities of the United States. 



•70 GLIMPSES QF TM^AJS. 

XV. 

CAPITAL AND LABOR. 

In our previous chapters we liave had frequent occasion 
to allude to the fertility of our soil, and the geniality of our 
climate, coupled with the almost illimitable resources of 
Texas, and these, we think are ample evidences of the fact 
that cur State is second to no other country in the induce- 
ments it offers to labor and capital. When we consider that 
even with our present inefficient system of intercommunica- 
tion, our exports give an average of fifty dollars per annum 
for every inhabitant of the State, the productive capacity of 
Texas, and the desirability of its products are but feebly 
estimated. Our staples are of a character that command 
ready sale in the markets of the world, and the comparative 
proximity of our seaboard to our producing districts will 
give such substantial encouragement to manufacturers, by 
enabling them to avoid heavy freights, both on raw material 
and manufactured commodities, that we may soon hope to 
become an almost entirely independent community, with the 
balance of trade largely in our favor, and with the product 
of our manufactures and agriculture rapidly enriching our 

State. 

This prediction is abundantly justified by our past history, 
our present statistics, a comparison of our square miles of 
area with our population, and a glance at our railroad enter- 
prises now in operation. Of the latter, we may incidentally 
remark, that, gigantic as they may seem at first view, their 
proportions decrease when compared with the territory of 
Texas awaiting development, and we may confidently ex- 
pect a net- work of railroads in Texas as closely knit as those 
of any of the older States, and with at least as full a sup- 
port from the country and interests sustaining them. 

Details of the special branches of industry and the par- 
ticular openings for capital are. given to some extent in a 
previous article, under the head of the '' City of Houston," 



CAPITAL AND LABOR. 71 

and, we may observe, that what Vv'as said in that connection 
in reference to the special advantages or our rail centre for 
manufactures, v/ill also apply to many other portions of 
Texas, 

Two years devoted to agriculture, and availing himself of 
our liberal land laws, will secure to the emigrant a good 
home, land, stock and everything necessary to smooth his 
pathway through life, and place him fully in the current of 
our tide of State progress. Lands are obtainable on the 
most favorable terms. To emigrants coming in considerable 
num.bers, and from the same localities, as is frequently the 
case, the inducements offered are not to be overlooked. 
Density of population always increases the value of lands, 
and emigrants, coming thus in communities, could forego 
the advantages of neighborhoods already thickly settled, 
purchase lands in sections more sparsely settled, and of 
course at cheaper rates, and create a neighborhood and so- 
ciety for themselves, (thus at once increasing the value of 
their lands ten- fold,) and enjoy among themselves the ad- 
vantage of an interchange of their products from the various 
fields of industry. This is no vague assertion, but one the 
practical realization of which has been frequently witnessed 
in Texas. 

The prudent capitalist can find no more secure and profit- 
able investments than Texas offers. The securities are of 
the most substantial kind 5 real estate, railroad bonds and' 
enterprises whose character ensures their success, while the 
liberal statutes of our State allow ten per cent, per annum; 
by special agreement. Besides these, timbered lands can 
now be bought for a sm.all fraction of the value of the tim- 
ber standing upon them ; lands adapted to the cultivation 
of sugar can be had at one fourth of the prices obtained for 
them before the war, while cotton lands can be had in all 
portions for a price not exceeding the net profit on a single 
crop. 

Real estate, at prices not in excess of its actual valuation, 
and with its rapid increase in value, insured beyond all hax 



72 GUM P.^ES OF 1 F.XA S. 

ard, lias always been viewed as a most desirable secuntjvfur 
capital, and this class of investment Texas offers to the 
fullest extent. 

Industrious and reliable mechanics and laborers can find 
no such encouragement elsewhere as Texas offers. They 
are needed in our factories and workshops, on our railroads, 
iu our sugar, cotton, corn and wheat fields, in our stock 
regions, and many other fields for occupation are open to 
them. Their wages are higher than in other localities, they 
are paid in gold, and their savings can be invested more ad- 
van tageonsly, and withal the expenses of living a.e less 
than in other sections. 

Manufactures furnish one of the most excellent fields for 
investment in Texas. We produce the great substantial of 
trade, cotton, wool, hides, sugar, wheat, beef and pork, and 
yet our demand for these articles, after they have gone 
through the ordinary manufacturing processes, is supplied 
chiefly by importation to our State. As above stated, con- 
sidering how thoroughl}' any manufacturing enterprise, de- 
voted to either of the above products would be sustained, 
and the profits that would be insured to the mannfacturer, 
while liberal compensation to the operatine is guaranteed, 
capital can find no more secure locality for investment than 
in manufactures in Texas. Our State should not only man- 
ufacture all that she requires for home consumption, but 
have a large surplus for exportation. 

Nearly everything necessary in ihe construction of rail- 
roads could be made with profit in Texas. We have, today, 
thousands of miles of railroads in course of construction, 
the material for which abounds in our State, and yet we have 
no locomotive works or rolling mills, and but few car facto- 
ries in the State. The abundance of coal and iron in the 
State, and the necessary demands of our railroads furnish 
every inducement for capital and labor. 

What we want then, in Texas, is capital and labor. We 
offer an abundant yield for both. Our people are eminently 
progressive and industrious, our own capital is kept con- 
stantly employed in some of the multifarious enterprises 
demanding constant attention at our hands, but it is insig- 
nificant when compared with the requirements of our rich 
and expansive country. 



TA BLE F JDJSTA iV CES . 



73 



DISTANCES 

Frosn Iloiistou to 2>iirerciit Points in Texas. 



Houston, via II. 



ntl T. C. II. R to Cypress 

•• llockloy 

•• llempsteatl... 

■■ Navasota 

•• Millican 

•• Bryan 

•• Ilearne 

•• Calvert 

Breniond 

•• Kosso 

•• Grocsbocck .. 

•• and Stage Springfield.. 

TeLuacana... 

Corsicana 

^Vaxnliacliie. 

Dallas 

McKinney ... 

Sliorman 

Prc&ton 

Paris 

•• and Western Braneli R.R. Clin]>pell Hill 

Erenliam 

Rnrton 

Ledbelter... 

& Stage La Grange... 

Bastrop 

"VVebbcrvillo 

Anstin 

San Marcos.. 
N. Braunfels 

•• AVaco Tap ]?. j{ TVJarlin 

Waco 

and Stage Meridian 

(iatesville... 



35 

50 

70 

80 

100 

120 

130 

143 

i.:3 

170 
ISo 
193 
212 
220 
2GS 
298 
330 
350 
355 
02 



I. and S. A. I 



Stephenson, 
r.reckenridgo 
Weather lord 
F't BelHnaj) 
Bicliniond... 

lU'rnard 

Wharton 

l";noleI,ak'>.: 



100 
110 
130 
14:5 
1^0 
180 
170 
105 
183 
2*^1 
220 
2C3 
321 



74 



GLIMPSES OF lE^AS. 



DISTANCES 



FroBii Mo5islon to DifTereiit Points in Texas, 



Houston, vi 


a G. 


II. and S. 


A. K. R 

•• and Stage 


to Columbus... 80 

Hallettsville. 100 

Clinton 114 

GoDzalcs 145 

Segnin 185 

San Antonio.. 21. 'S 




Castroville.... 240 




Uvalde 325 




Eagle Pass... 362 

Ft. Clark 335 

El Paso 875 




• n. T. & B. R. 

. II. and G. N. ] 

. T. and N. 0. R 
G.n. andll. I 


R 


Areola 12 






Sandy Point... 20 






Chenango 30 




— 


Ovstcr Creek.. 35 

Columbia 50 




and Stage 


Brazoria f>0 






Matagorda 80 






Indianola 110 






Lavaca 115 






Tictoria 130 






Goliad 1.55 






Corpus Christi 105 






San Patricio... 205 

.. ... Brownsville... 310 
Rio Grande C'y 330 






Laredo 330 




1. R 


Spring Creek... 26 

Danville 55 






Trinity 80 




and Stage 


Iluntsville 7n 

. . .. Crockett.^ 105 






Knsk IIO 

Palestine 1.35 

Tyler 168 






Quitman 195 

Marshall 2.3:» 

Mt. Pleasant... 220 

Clarksville 25*i 






Fulton, Ark ... 320 




• R 


Liberty 45 

T'eaumont 95 






Orange 112 




and St<»ge 


Woodville 157 




I. R .'.'.'.'.'.'.*.'.*.'.'.'.*.' 


Jasper 172 

Bnrkevilic 182 

..... San AuguBtino 212 

.... Shelby 222 

.... Ilarrisburg 5 

.... Summit 10 






.... Clear Creek.,,.. 25 
,. .. Dickson's Bayou 32 

..,. Highland 35 

„ .. Giilvegton £0 



MATES OF FARE, TIME AJSD DISTANCES. 75 

Hates of Fare, Time aiail Distances, 

From Prominent Points of the North, East and West, to 
Houston, Texas. 



CITIES. 



Rates Time, 
of Fare. 11. M. 



Ditit. 

Mrs. 



From Albany, New York, to Houston, Texas 

" Boston, Mass. '* '* '• 

" Baltimore, Md. *' " " 

" Chattanooga, Tenn, " " " 

" Cincinnati, Oliio, " " " 

" Cleveland, Ohio, " " " , 

" Columbur,, Ohio, " " " 

'' Chicago, 111. " " " 

" Detroit, Mich. " *' '' 

" Hariisbnrg, Pa. '• " " 

'* Indianapolis, Ind. " '• " , 

" La Crosse, Wis. " " " , 

" Louisville, Ky. " " " 

" Montreal, Can. " " " , 

" Memj>hit!, Tenn. " " ** , 

" New York City, 

** Niagara Falls, N. Y''. " " " , 

" Nashville, Tenn. " " " 

*' Philadelphia, Pa. " " '* , 

'* Pittsburg, Pa. " " " , 

" Peoria, 111. " " " . 

'' Quebec, Can. " " ** 

" Quincy, 111. " " " . 

" Kichraond, Va, " " " , 

" Spiiugticld, 111. " " " , 

" St. Louis, Mo. " " " , 

" Scdma, Ala. " " " . 

" Yicksburg, Miss. " " " 

" Wheeling, Ya. " *' " 

" Washington,©. C. 



$73 15 


108 


74 50 


117 


C4 15 


102 


49 30 


63 


54 93 


73 


62 58 


90 


58 50 


77 


54 70 


76 


62 35 


94—50 


73 69 


94 


55 60 


78-30 


64 92 


97—15 


50 88 


68 


74 95 


116—55 


36 70 


49—20 


70 00 


103-30 


48 27 


100 


70 30 


60 


70 30 


99 


64 83 


85 


55 60 
79 45 




127-25 


56 28 
64 15 






53 58 


72-25 


49 30 


68 


30 48 
29 50 




42 


62 94 


84 


63 35 


83 



1,922 
2,12.-> 
1.'707 
'982 
1,190 
1,448 
1,310 
1,261 
1,457 
1,752 
1.191 
1,520 
1,083 
2,068 

2,022 
1,644 
1,028 
1,859 
1,50: 
1,285 
2,240 
1,.396 
1,571 
897 
1,003 
717 
558 
1,447 
1,832 



The above table of Fares, Time and Distances is based upon the present 
i-outo of travel, from various points in the States to New Orleans; thence, 
by rail to Berwick's Bay; thence, by steamer to Galveston, and rail to 
Houston. It is expected that by the 1st of January, 1872, the New Orleans, 
Chattanooga and Mobile Railroad will be completed to Houston, which 
will materially reduce the time, fare and distance. 

The completion of the H. and G. N. R. R. to the line of the International 
will reduce the distance and time from Houston to Chicago to about the 
same as from New Orleans, and thereby place Houston m about the same 
proximity to the West and North as Now Orleans is now. 



WM. BRADY, 

REAL ESTATE BROKER, 

HOUSTON, TEXAS, 

Offers for sale the following property : 

CITY OF HOUSTON-A'or^^/i side of Buffalo Bayou, 

Lots No. G and 7, in Block 37, with improvements, con- 
sisting of a two story dwelling house, kitchen, servants' and 
carriage house, and stables. 

2 lots on the N. W. corner of block No. 3, fronting on 
Third street, with two cottage houses thereon. 

Block No. 3, on Liberty street. 

3 Blocks, Nos 1, 2 and 3, of Forsgard's addition. 
50 Blocks in Ryon's addition. 

2 Acres in Chapman's addition, near machine shop of 
Texas and New Orleans Railroad. 

10 Acres betvTeen the Texas and New Orleans Railroad 
and Buffalo Bayou. 

CITY OF HOUSTON— .S'o?r//i side of Buffalo Bayou. 

4 Acres in the Fourth Ward, with a two story dwelling 
house, stable and outhouses, known as the Ammerman 
place. 

Valuable property corner Main and Commerce streets. 

Four lots, improved by a two story dwelling house and 
kitchen, desirably situated. 

Block, No. 411, with improvements consisting of a two 
story dwelling house and other outhouses. 

Several 10 acre lots in the southern limits of the city. 

Three lots in Block 337, wuth dwelling house and other 
outhouses. 

A half of a'Block with dwelling house, containing six 
rooms, and other outhouses, very convenient to the business 
portion of the city. 

Blocks Nos. 312, 391, in the Third Ward. 

Blocks Nos. 198, 483, 21G, 227, 522, 515 and 229, of the 
Wells addition. 



LANDI^i FOR SALE. fj 

One lot in Block IQ^ fronting on Travis street, iniproved. 

One lot with improvements, in Block No. 50, corner of 
Preston and Lab ranch streets. 

One-fourth of a block with improvements, corner of Cap- 
ital and Hamilton streets. 

3 Lots, iNos 8, 9 and 10, in block No. 140, with improve- 
ments, west of Main street, corner of McKinney and Travis 
streets. 

Block No. 28G. 

Block No. 3, Factory addition. 

HARRIS COUNTY. 

1000 acres out of the A. C. Runnel's survey, live miles 
from the City ot Houston. 

50 acres on Bray's Bayou, near the City of Houston, tim- 
])ered. 

320 acres out of the John Marks survey, on Green's 
Bayou. 

461 acres out of the J. L. Wheeten survey, on Buffalo 
Bayou. 

57 acres outof A\^. L. Black's survey, on Hunting Bayou, 
timbered. 

One-third of a league, and one-third of a labor, (1535 
acres) out of thb Wm. White survey, situated on Spring 
Creek, all well timbered, desirably located for a saw mill. 

480 acres of good farming land, situated on Cypress Creek, 
out of the W. K. Hamblin survey, on the Hoi ston and 
Texas Central Railroad. 

150 acres, with a fine two story dwelling house of 8 rooms, 
and all necessary outhouses, 50 acres in cultivation, situated 
on Galveston Bay, and very well adapted to the growth of 
S?a Island cotton. 

500 acres on the west bank of Buffalo Bayou, thirty acres 
in cultivation, three miles from Lynchburg. 

147G acres out of Amy White's survey, on San Jacinto 
river, 6 miles above Lynchburg, fronting six miles on the 
river, heavily timbered with pine, white oak and cj'press. 
One of the best timbered tracts in Harris county. 

1476 acres on Spring Creek, known as the Fisher tract, 
well timbered, near the line of the H. &. G. N. Raih'oad, and 
all good farming land. 

200 acres with improvements, partly in cultivation, near 
the city of Houston, desirablelocality for a market and dairy 
farm. 



78 LANDS FOR SALR 

1500 acres out •£ the John Brown survey, on Buffalo 
Bayou, opposite Constitution Bend, fronting over a mile on 
the bayou, about one-half timbered — 40 acres in cultivationj 
and nearly all good farming land. 

2214 acres, being the lower half of the Rankin league, on 
the west side of San Jacinto river, heavily timbered with 
white oak, pine and cypress. 

640 acres of D. D. Gulp's survey, on the west side of San 
Jacinto river, joining the Whitlock league. 

925 acres of the tract of Karcher and Everett, original 
patentees, situated on Green's Bayou, and well timbered. 

2000 Acres on Hall's Bayou, G miles from Houston, tim- 
bered and good farming land, with some improvements. 

1476 Acres, being the headright of Charles Hoffm.an, on 
the west bank of Cypress Creek, 15 miles from Houston, 
heavily timbered, and good farming land. 

400 Acres improved, situated on Morgan's Point, being 
the late residence of Col. James Morgan. This is one of the 
most desirable locations on Galveston Bay, both northern 
and tropical fruits do well on this land. 

One League, (4428 acres) being a part of three leagues 
granted Victor Blanco, situated on the west bank of the San 
Jacinto river, w^ell timbered, and near the line of the Texas 
and New Orleans Railroad. 

100 Acres out of the A. C. Runnel survey, situated 4 
miles west of the City of Houston. 

788 Acres out of the R. Giles survey, between Cypress 
and Spring Creeks, well timbered, and near the line of the 
Houston and Great Northern Railroad. 

200 Acres, situated on San Jacinto Bay, good soil and 
well timbered. 

1214 Acres out of the upper part, lovrer half of the V/hit- 
lock league, fronting east side San Jacinto river, well tim- 
bered, and 4 miles from the Texas and New Orleans Rail- 
road. 

200 Acres good prairie land, situated 2 miles from Davis' 
landing, San Jacinto bay. 

600 Acres fronting San Jacinto Bay, easily enclosed, very 
superior soil, and one of the most delightful locations in the 
State. 

FORT BEND COUNTY. 

470 acres near Pittsville, out of the Noel & Roberts orig- 
inal grant. 

376 acres, eight miles below Richmond, and 4 J miles from 
Stafford's Point, part of the Henry Jones plantation, front- 



LANDS FOR SALE. 79 

ing 500 feet on tlie Brazos river j 78 acres in cultivation and 
200 acres heavily timbered, 

500 acres on the west bank of Brazos river, known as ^he 
John Mitchell place, about 8 miles above Richmond, fine 
farming land and well improved. 

G57 acres, about IJ miles from Areola station, out of the 
David Fitzgerald league, 100 acres in cultivation, 300 acres 
of fine timber land, improvements good. 

WASHINGTON COUNTY. 

Desirable farm containing 225 acres, with an elegant dwell- 
ing house, carriage house, stables, smoke house, cistern, 
wells, &c., all finely finished, (H. B. Jones^^ place,) situated 
near Burton, about IJ miles from the depot, and w^ell tim- 
bered with post-oak and cedar. The soil is very rich, equal 
to the Brazos bottom land. With the above wnll be sold a 
stock of cattle, mules, farming utensils, &c., sufficient for 
carrying on the place. 

Also, a store house in Burton. 

Especial attention is called to the above advertisement. 
The place will be sold cheap. It is situated in a desirable 
part of Washington countv, one of the finest counties in the 
State. 

100 acres of fine farming land on the west side of the Bra- 
zos river, near the Western Branch Railroad, 

BRAZORIA COUNTY. 

1000 acres on Oyster Creek, heavily timbered land, 130 
acres of which are in cultivation, about 40 miles from city of 
Houston, and on the H. T. &. B. Railroad. 

5G0 acres on Walnut Creek, partly timbered. 

800 Acres fronting Cedar Bayou, near Galveston bay. 

A fine cotton or sugar plantation adjoining the town of 
Columbia, with improvements consisting of dwelling house, 
gin house, cotton press, &c., &c., fronting on the Brazos 
river, all good alluvial bottom lands. 

MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 

28,000 acres out of Jose Maria de la Garza 11 League 
grant,^ partly ^ in Montgomery, AValker and San Jacinto 
counties. This tract is nearly all good farming land, con- 
sisting in part of sandy loam, upland, and ri^'h, alhivi'i^ 
bottoms, and all well watered. 



80 LAXnS FOB SALE. 

Three-fourths of said tract is heavily timbered with pine, 
white oak, red and post oak, black walnut. e3^press, ash &c. 

*That portion of this grant now under cultivation, some 
8000 acres, yields good crops of corn, cotton, sugar cane, 
barley, oats, &c. Average yield of cotton one bale per 
acre, and 35 bushels corn. This tract is also well adapted 
to the culture of fruits, "such as apples, peaches, pears, 
grapes, &c. 

The beautiful village of Waverly is situated on this grant, 
and is remarkably healthy and noted for fine society, schools, 
&c. The markets for this section are Houston and Galves- 
ton : they can be reached in from three to four hours by 
the H. k G. N. Railroad, which will be completed to apDint 
near the vrestern part of this grant by the first of July next. 

640 acres of the W. B. Jackson survey, land well adapted 
for farming, situated on San Jacinto river, and is well tim- 
bered. 

040 acres of the Barkley survey, well timbered, and situ- 
ated on the San Jacinto River. 

442S acres, A. Hodges' headright, all timber. 

2800 acres, situated nine miles N. W. from the town of 
Montgorr ery, on Big Lake Creek. 

1250 acres out of the Cyrus Weekson survey. 

1300 acres out of the J. 0. Rockwell survey. 

4200 acres out of the T. J. Nichols survey. 

640 acres out of the L. Gross survey, heavily timbered. 

1280 acres, being the A. McRac headright, situated on 
Peach Creek, heavily timbered and good farming land. 

1476 acres, out of the John Bricker grant, situated on the 
cast bank of the San Jacinto river, well timbered. 

NAVARRO COUNTY. 

640 acres on the waters of Richland Creek aljout 14 miles 
south-west from Corsicana. 

GiO acres, originally granted to Janies Converse, situated 
on the waters of Chambers' Creek, about lOJ miles south- 
east of the town of Corsicana. 

640 acres of land on Chambers Creek, in Navarro coun- 
ty, adjoining Mrs. Lockhart, 

BRAZOS COUNTY. 

221:0 acres of timber land, in Brazos county, near Mini- 
pan, headright t;^" S. D. Smith- 



LAXDS FOE SALE. gl 

BOSQUE COUNTY. 

320 acres near the west bank of Bosque River, about 24 J 
miles above Water. 

853 acreSj being the Southern portion of a tract granted 
by the State of Texas to heirs of Wm. Pavin. 

G60 acres of land nn the waters of Bosque Creek, near 
Meridian. 

PALO PINTO COUNTY. 

G80 acres of land on Palo Pinto Creek. 
ERATH COUjNTY. 

540 acres, 8 miles south of Stephensville near the Bosque 
river. 

G40 acres on the waters of the Poluxy, a tributary of 
the Brazos. 

320 acres of land near Stephensville. 

ATASCOSA COIWTY. 

2400 acres, originally granted to Reynolds, about 43 miles 
south-west of the city of San Antonio. 

BELL COUNTY. 

570 acres of land, located in Bell county, on little Elm 
Creek, being part of the Hermin League. 

McLENNaN COUNTY. 

One league and one labor about 12 miles from Waco, 
j^atented to the heirs of Obver Gorman. (4,508 acres.) 

HOUSTON, LEON and MADISON COLNTIES. 

11 Leagues, 48708 acres, situated in the counties of Hous- 
ton, Madison and Leon, on both sides Trinity river, between 
the Liternational Railroad and Houston and Great; North- 
ern Railroad, about 15 miles distant from each. I'his land 
is well timbered and the most desirable farming land in this 
section of country, and presents great inducements for a 
colon3\ It will be sold in a I'ody, or in Irnets to suit. 



32 LAyDS FOB. SALE 

LIMESTONE COUXTY. 

GiO acres of land situated on llie waters of Duck Creek, 
being the tract patented to the heirs of John M. HooiDcr. 

WOOD COUNTY. 

427 acres of land out of the Jacob Crawford grant. 
1280 acres of land granted to Jacob Crawford. 

BEXAR COUNTY. 

734 acres, originally being part of the headright of R. 
Burhen, 

DeWITT COUNTY. 

2700 acres out of the James Turner League, situate 1 on 
San Antonio road, on Colletts river — good farming land, 
well timbered, and in a well settled locality. The road 
from Victoria to San Antonio passes through this tract. 

WALKER COUNTY. 

2400 acres, north pait of L. D. Allen's survey. 
640 acres out of the S. Groon survey. 
88 acres out of the S. Fulton survey. 
One-third of a league of Washington I. Knight's sur- 
vey. (1476 acres.) 

POLK COUNTY. 

83 acres out of the Marshall Holcornb survey. 

JEFFERSON COUNTY. 

320 acres, out of the Thomas McKinney grant, on the line 
of the Texas and New Orleans Railroad. 

HARDIN COUNTY. 

oGOO acres, well timbered land; on Turkey Creek, a por- 
tion of the tract being in Tyler county. 



\IAjND3 FOR SALE 83 

HOUSTON COUNTY. 

274 acres out of the Charles Edwards suTvey. 

320 acres out of the Jolin Forbes survey. 

620 acres, 120 acres improved, good dwelling house, gin 
house, stables, &c., 16 miles S. E. of Huntsville, near the 
line of the Houston and Great Northern Railroad. 

GRIMES COUNTY. 

177 acres, Piedmont Springs, 6J miles from Millie in, with 
fine improvements. 

GALVESTON COUNTY. 



Two-thirds of a league, 2952 acres, on Hall's Bayou, 
artly in Galveston and Brazoria counties, patented to Asa 



Brignam. 

960 acres on Bolivar Peninsular, 20 miles N. E. from the 
City of Galveston, good sea island cotton land. 

For further particulars, terms, ck?s., in reference to any of 
the above described lands, parties desirous of purchasing 
will make application to the undersigned. Maps of nearly 
every county in the State can be found at his ofTice. Cor- 



respondence respectfully solicited with persons desirous^ of 
buying or selling lands, and all communications will receive 
immediate attention. Address 

WM. BRADY, 

Houston, Teiccii. 
OFncK— Franklin Street, opposite tJie Hutcldns House, 



81 AD TER TISE3JENTR 

Plantation Maehlnex'^ 

AND 

ASllCllLTIliAL IIPLEIEI^TS, 
Fi. soi-ie:rffius, 

Houston^ Texas* 

AQE]\*T FOE 

STATIONAF.V AXi) I'ORTABLE STEAM EXOINKS AND SAW MILLS. 

DANIEL PRATrS IMPROYED COTTON GINS, 
STOi'PLI?S inON SCrvEY\' COTTON PRESSES, 

ALBERTSON-S SEGMENT SCREW COTTON PRESS. 
ISAAC STRAUBS CORN AND WHEAT MILLS, 

COLEMAN'S CORN AND AY HEAT MILLS, 
RL'CKEVE >rOWERS AXI) ]{EAPERS. 

YICTOR SUGAR CANE MILLS, 

COOK'S su;;aij eyaporators, 

DIKnOLI) tt KIEXZLKS EFRE AXD liURGLAR PROOF SAFES, 

PLOWS OF ALL KINDS. 

Jii'ij-' A'AciH-ifs 111 lir-^t el;!-*; MacliiiU'ry airl Agricnlhiral Iiiiplciut'iits 
sclidted. 

IT. SCHEKFFIUS, 

IIOI'STOX, TEXAS. 



A D I ^ERTISEMENTS. 85 

C'npilal, $250,000. AsisctH, $271,894 53. 

1PLA.NTERS' 

MUTUAL mSDMI^CE COlPAi^Y, 

Houston, Texas. 



Fire, Marine and Inland Insurance. 



A. J. BURKE, President. ROBT BREWSTER, Vice President 

C. S. LONGCOPE, Secretary 

Director.-^— A. J, Burke, C. S. Lonp,'Cope, JohnBraslierir, Robert Brewster 
K. II. Cusliing, W. M. Taylor, B. A. Botts, John Shearn, J. W. Ileiulersun, 
- Wm. R. Baker, J. B. Rodgers, E. Knolle, S. K. Mclliienuy. 

Tliis Company (confining its business to the State) offers to tiiepublie re- 
liable protection against loss and damage l>y fire, on terms as favorable as 
the character ot the risks will justify. 

Losses equitably adjusted, and promptly paid. As in the pnst, so in the 
future. 

Policies made payable in Currencj'' or Gold, as desire<l. 

Homo Otlice, corner Franklin and Travis streets, Ilutchins House build- 
ing. Agents osta)>lished in the principal towns in the State, to whom par- 
ties desiiiiig Insurance can apidy. 



A G- E N T S ; 

B. I). TIIROOP, General Traveling Agent, Anderson. 

James Layne, .Jefferson ; .7. S. C. Morrow, Georgetown ; C. R. Breedlove, 
Brenham ; A.C.Martin. Marshall; ^Ym. W.Martin, San Marcos; (Jeorgo 
W. Porter, Sherman ; Thomas J. Brown, McKinney ; B. W. Walker, 
lluntsville; B.E.Brown, Bonham ; W. T. Marshall, Sai^Antonio ; J. M. 
Browiison & Co.. Yict(>ria ; Isaac Sellers, L;igrann"e: If. G. Carter, Canieron; 
Wm. M. Tavlcr. Crockett ; D. S. II. Diirst, cion/ales: Henrv Siuuiison. (J;.!- 
v(>t..ii; J. M. Bodson. Ilemlerson ; .lames D. Wortham, " Paris ; Fliul <t 
CliandK'rlin, \\'aco ; George Yarbrough T.vler: J. H. Gillespie, Bat-tiiip; 
K.iiis (t (uM/endaiier, W;ixaha(dii(! ; .J. J.'tinn.s, Xcw P.raunrcls ; W. A. 
Pills, IndlaiMda ; C. R. Julius it Co., Austin ; Smith & Woi«l, Guliad : T. C. 
.lordan, Dallas; L, D, P>iadhy, Fairheld; AV, K. Kendall, Riclimon.l ; K. D. 
lv<'ith, Sabine Pass ; J. R. Carlton. Culumbns ; 1). C. Ilayms, Weatherlbnl ; 
Uyvu tt Wliifiuonsf^ulphijr SlMin-s-; B. p. Dasliirlj, Cljappejl Hill. 



80 



A D TER TISEMENTS- 



;ei 



HOTJSTOI^^, TEXAS. 



:o:- 



N- P. TURNER^ Proprietor. 



-:o: 



Loccvtedin the Centre of Business. 



BUILPING NEW, WITH ALL MODERN IMPROVE- 

MENTS. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 37 



JOBBEK IN 

SCHOOL AND BLANK BOOKS, 

Writing and Printing Papers^ 

Wrapping Papers and Paper Bags, 

STAPLE STATIONERY, 

« 

BIBLES, HYMN BOOKS, PRAYER BOOKS, 

Sunday School Books ^ Law Books ^ 

STANDARD LITERATURE, FINE CHROMOS, 

PIAHOS AID CABIITET ORGANS, 

GENUINE RODGERS & SON'S CUTLERY, 

GABDEN^SEEDS, CMILBREN'S CARRIAGES, Etc., Etc. 

Publisher of 

TAYLOR'S (Masonic) MONITOR ; AFFLECK'S HAND BOOK OF IIELG- 

INa;MOLLIE E.MOORE'S POEMS; SAYLES' TREATISE; 

SAYLES' PROBATE LAW OF TEXAS, Etc. 

5 «fc 7 Franklin Street 5 A 7 

HOUSTON, TEXAS. 



8b 



J D r/:n tts kmknts. 



T. W. HOUSE, 

3i) & 41 llain Street, 39 <& 41 

HOUSTON, TEXAS, 

B A. IN" K E R , 

DEALER TX 

l^op^ign and Oomeetic 

Cotloii Factor and Geiisra! Coiiiiiiissioii lorcliaiit, 



WUOLESALE DEALER IX 



Groceries^ Dry Goods^ Boots^ Shoes^ &c. 

iS^i* Advances made on Cotton, Wool or Hides 
for sale liere, or shipment elsewhere. 



AlJVERTISEMENTS, ^tj 

HOUSTOlSr 

DIRECT MAYIGATION 

COMPANY, 

For the Year 1871. 



Through Bills of Lading from Houston, 

By Steam to New York and New Orleans, 
By Sail to New York, Liverpool and other ports. 



Wharfage, Drayage &l Commission Saved 

ON GOODS BY THIS LINE TO HOUSTON. 



Insurance at Lowest Mates. 



CONSIGN TO HOUSTON DIRECT NAVIGATION CO., 

AT 

Houston, Harristog or Galveston. 

All just claims for Loss or Damage prompt])^ paid. 
JOHN SHEARN, Picsident. 



90 ADYEETIkEMENlS. 

THE 

HOUSTON & TEXAS CEITEAL RAILWAY 

EXTENDING FROM THH 

CITir OF HOUSTON, 



At the head of navigation, on Buffalo Bayou, to Preston, in 
Grayson county, on the Northern boundary of Texas, with 
a branch extending to Austin, the Capital of the State, is 
now in operation from Houston to Groesbeeck, 170 miles, 
on the mainline, and from Houston to Giddings, 100 miles, 
on the Western or Austin Division. 

Runs two daily Passenger Trains over the main line, and 
one Passenger Train over the Western Division, both ways, 
making close connection with all other lines of transportation. 
Connecting at 

HOUSTOX with the Galveston, Houston k Henderson 
Pailroad, and Houston Direct Navigation Company Line of 
Steamers ; at 

NAYASOTA with a line of Stages for xlnderson, Hunts- 
ville, Crockett, Palestine, Rusk, Henderson and the Texas 
Pacific Railroad ; at 

KOSSE with line of Stages for Waco ; at 

GROESBEECK, with aline of Stages for Waxahachie, 
Dallas, Sherman, McKinney, and other parts of Northern 
and Eastern Texas ; and at 

GIDDINGS with lines of Stages for Lagrange, Bastrop, 
Austin, San Marcos, New Braunfels and San Antonio. 

Freight Trains run at all hours of the day, between all 
points of the road, according to the business of the season. 

The principal ofSce of the Company is located at Hous- 
ton, with the following named officers : 

W. R. Baker, President ; Wm. M. Rice, Vice President ; 
C. Ennis, Comptroller and C S. B.; M. G. Howe, Super- 
intendent ; F. A. Rice, Treasurer ; A. S. Richardson, Sec- 
retary; F. W. Smith, General Freight Agent. 



A D VER TISEMENTS. 



91 



LOOK FOB TMM SIGN OF TUB 



1^ 




Wm. CHRIST: 



2(U 28 & 30, Main Street^ 
HOUSTON, TEXAS. 

WHOLESALE I^IOCERS, 

COTTOi^ AND WOOL FACTOES, 

AND 

COMMISSION MERCHANTS. 

Liberal cash advances made on all produce con- 
signed them for sale or shipment to their friends 
in^JSTew York, Boston or Liverpool. 

AGENTS FOR THE 

Wallis & Beard Improved Cotton Tics^ 

(The former took the premium at tlio Louisiana State Fair.) 

Eagle Cotton Gins, Newell's, IngersolFs, & Grey's Presses, 

Also, keep constantly on hand a large stock of 

Bagging and Staple Grrooeries^ 

At the ipwcBt market price. Have always on hand a full stork of 
FliOUK ANB CRACKERS, 

For Avhich they repeivcd the first Diploma at the Texas State Fair. 
Consignments of Produce and Merchandise solicited. I'crsonal attention 
f^iven to sales, and prompt roturjis ti:uarantood, 



( ) 2 AD) ER USE MEN! S. 

A, WHITAKER, 

fiUBSEEYMAN, SEEDSMAN AKD FLORIST, 

Houston^ Texas. 

Will have in readiness for the planting season, 

100,000 FRUIT TREES, 

consisting of 

APPLE, PEACH, PEAR, PLUM, GRAPE, ALMOND, 

NECTARIXE, xlPRICOT, WALNUT, &c., &c. 

100)000 Shade and Ornamental Trees^ 

of every description, suited to the climate. 

liasjjhei'rics, Blackhevries, StraivJjcr- 
lies, GooseJjeriies, ^r. 

EVERGREENS in large quantity and varie'y. HOUSE 
PLANTS of every description. 

10,000 Roses, and thousands of x\lthea, Deutzia, Weigilia, 
Spirea, and other rare shrubs. 

Fresh Vef/efable. Field & Flower Seeds 

ahvays on band. Eamilles ^vithin reach of any Post Oilice 
can be supplied by mail, without any additional expense. 
M^ Se\]) fur a Catalogue. 

A, WJUTAIvlvR, 



JDVFT? TL. FAf r.\r,s. 9 9y 



Houston Telegraph, 

Estabislied in 1835. 

Oldest Texas J'ouiPiiala 

ITISSUES 

TWO DAILY J^niTIONS, 

AND LAR"!E 

TRI-WEEKLY AND WEEKLY EDITIONS. 



1 HE TELEGRAPH is devoted to Constitutional politics ; to the rights of 
the States, and of the United States. To the honor and history of tli*^ good 
and great Men, the Heroes and Statesmen of every part of t)ie \vorld, and 
more especially of the United States. To the development of Texas by the 
extension of Railroads ; the enconragenuMit of Immigration; the increase 
of Mannfactnres; tlie development of Agriciiltnre : the pvugi'css of Educa- 
tion, Literature, Art and Religion. 

The WEEKLY TELEGRAPH is a splendid Family Paper, cont;iinii)g all 
the general news, the literary intelligence, \vith religions news, the agricul- 
tural news, political news, the markets, the leading editorials, and the gen- 
eral correspondence of the Dailies and Tri-Weeklies. 

PRICES OF THE TELEGRAPH, PER ANNUM, IN COIN : 

Daily $12; Tri- Weekly $S ; Weekly $3. 

CLUB RATES— Each package to one Post Office, for DAILY— 5 Copies, 
$50; 10 copies, ^80 ; 20 copies, $140, FOR TRI-WEEKLY— 5 Copies, $30, 
10 copies, $50; 20 copies, $85. FOR WEEKLY-0 Copies, $12; 10 copies, 
$20 ; 50 copies, $75 ; 100 copies, $100. 

Time rates for either Edition to singh (not Club) siihscribers for cash in ad- 



For two years, one-sixth oif ; for three years, cne-fifth off; for fonr years, 
one-fonrth off"; for five years, one-third otf ; and for six or more years, one- 
halt off. 

No commissions allowed to agents or others upon Club or Time-rate sub- 
scribers. 

l^ostm.isters and others, who will obtain new subscribers at regular (not 
Club or Time) rates may retain a commission of 25 per cent., but wo will 
not send the paper until the money is paid over, or remitted in registered 
lett.'rs. 



AV. 0, AVRHB, Proprietor. 



u 



AD TER TISEMENT.^. 



The Houston Times^ 

E. p. CLAUD ON, Proprietor, 

HOUSTON, TEXAS. 



The Monston Times is piifclislied 5>ai!y and WeefeJy. 

THE DAILY TIMES lias a large circulation amoDg tbe mercantile ^ra* 
ternity of the State, and being published in the metropolis, in the center of 
the State, it reaches the interior ahead of the Galveston papers, and is for 
that reason preferred. 

THE WEEKLY TIMES is an eight page paper, and is one of the cheapest 
and best circulated papers in the State. It is found in the hands of every 
larmer, mechanic and business man in the State, and for manuflicturors' 
advertisements is the best medium to be found. 

THE HOUSTON TIMES is Democratic in politicc, and devoted to the 
intere&t of the State of Texas. 

ADVERTISING RATES: 
Transient advertisements having the run of the paper, SI 00 per square, 
first insertion ; 50 cents per square for subsequent insertions. Editorial 
business notices, 25 cents per line, each insertion. Special Notices, 10 cents 
per line, each insertion. Directory Cards, 50 cents per line per month. 

DAILY TIMES. 



Squares. 


1 Month. 


2 Months. 


3 Moutlis. 


6 Months. 


12 Mouths. 


1 


$ 6 00 


$11 00 


$15 00 


$25 0^ 


40 00 


2 


• 11 00 


15 00 


k.0 00 


37 00 


70 00 


?, 


15 00 


25 00 


37 00 


60 03 


111' 00 


4 


20 00 


S5 00 


50 00 


80 00 


1 5 00 


5 


25 00 


45 00 


00 00 


100 00 


180 00 


10 


40 00 


8) (K) 


100 00 


180 00 


350 00 


Column. 


60 00 


110 00 


140 00 


260 00 


500 00 



WEEKLY TIMES. 

Fifty per cent, less than the Daily rates. Cuts will be charged double 
price, and none but metal cuts inserted. 

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION : 

DAILY, per annum, $12 00; Six Months, S7 00. 
WEEKLY, per annum, ^2 00, gold, per capj. 

CLUB RATES FOR THE vTEEKLY. 

Ten copies, SIS ; thirty copies, SI') ; fifty copies, $50; and one copy gratis 
to the getter up of a Club of over five. 

Address, TDESOES "S'XI^^ES, 

Box 402, Tr(ni8ton, Texas. 



ADrERTISSSMENTa. 05 

HOUSTON 

Cotton ProBB Company 

PROPOSE TO DO A 

EECEI?IlTa, FORWAEDIHG 

~ AND — 

Storage Business. 



Consigiimeiiiis of Cottosi RespcctfnlXy Solicited, 



T. W. HOUSE, President =,.A. J. BUHKE, Secetary 

«. A. A. SZABO, Superinteiideiu. 



Houston, Tex;::^ 1:71. 

In offering to the public our advantages, we desire to state tliat wo have 
an A No. 1 Tyler's Patent Steam Press in successful operation, \v"'"c-^ v^e 
desire to koop constantly employed. For this purpose, we solicit c -ririgii- 
ments of Cotton for shipment to any Foreign or Domestic Port ; the ' hargo 
of compressing being paid by the vessel, there will be no charge i.' lo for 
receiving or forwarding; our main object is to obtain tlie compressii; All 
Cotton consigned to our care by the Houston and Texas Central 1 liway 
will be received free of drayage, and from our location, w« possess i. lilies 
to ship by the Houston Direct Navigation Comjiany, free of drayage, : ', T' l>y 
saving an expense and the subsequent wear and tear of handling, hit lie 
event of an unavoidable delay, all consignments in our care will be shell c red 
fiom the weather. 

The business will be conducted on the principles of strict economy and 
honesty, with a view to facilitate the forwarding of tbo crops with tho 
smallest possible expense to shippers. 

Parties sending us consignments for shipment, are requested to be explicit 
in their instructions, and it will receive prompt attention at our hands. 

Ai A. SZABO^ SuperintcndoHt. 



96 advertisements: 

SOAP CONSUMERS, 



Few of our ilerchaiiis, mudi less the consr.iuers of Soap, liaveaiiy correct 
iik\a of the immense ainonnt imported into Texas from foreign cities. It i.'^ 
iipwards of 40,000,000 pounds per annum, at an ayerage cost (of eight 
cents per pound. Is there any reason, we ask you, Vrhy the State of Texas 
shouhi import tliis hirge amount, and pay to other cities $3,200,000 per an- 
num, when tlie principal ingredient. Tallow, is furnished here cheaper than 
in any other State in the Union? Resin, Soda, Ac, can be delivered in Hous- 
ton as cheap as in New York, Philadelphia or New Orleans, and cheaper 
than Cincinnati, St. Louis er Cliicago; and, owing to the high price of Tal- 
low, manufacturers in other ciries are compelled to use certain ingredients 
as a substitute for Tallow, whicli is injurious to a large par cent, of the Soaps 
now sold by the merchants. Knowing this to be the case, we, being practi- 
cal Soap manufiicturers, have erected a JbARGE FACTOIIY in tliis city, 
capable of furnishing a large portion of the trade of Texas, and with a capa- 
city of 24,000 pounds per day. ^^q will supply a good article, and at such 
prices as will defy competition. Believing that we vrill be sustained, and 
hoping that the Trade will encourage its home manufactories, we most re- 
spectfully solicit a share of your orders, which will meet with prompt atten- 
tion. 

SMITH, MACATEE & CO., 

Proprietors, No. 23, Main Street, Houston. 
Houston, February 14th, 1871. 



JNDORSEMENTS. 

Houston, December 27 th, 1870. 

We, the undersigned, Merchants and Dealers of the City of Houston, hav- 
ing sold or used the EXCELSIOR SOAP, manufactured by Goldmann & Co., 
take pleasure in recommending it to dealers and consumers, believing it to be 
equal, if not superior, to any imported or soli in our market : 

VVm. Christian & Co., T. W. House, John Weber, Louis Hardee & Co., P. 
J. Willis & Dro., Joe Wilier, L. M. Rich & Co., J. M. Nebon, G. W. Kidd, J. 
L. Stevenson, Wm. Rumpel, \\ R. Lubbock & Son, S. Conradi & Co., H. F. 
Stephanes, C. Grosjean, Wm. Dissen & Co., Ig. Veith, N. P. Turner, C. Wicli- 
mann, Schmidt &. Kosse, W. & A. Reichardt, A. Proetzel, Mrs. A. Linden, M. 
JIarrington «fe Co., Michael Holanton, N. DeMirimonde, F.Newman, G. W. 
Kafifenberger, E. F. Schmidt, Chemist, John Donnelly, James F. Dumble, E. 
1>. True, Rottenstein & Engelke, A. Wettcrmark, Peter Floeck, Robert Lis- 
kow, William Brady. 

SMITH, MACATEE & CO., 

Proprietors, 23 Main Street, Houston, Texas. 
To whom all orders should be addressed. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 97 

LUMBER DEPOT 

MOVSTON, TEXAS. 



I am now prepared to furnish 

laumbei? "h-^ tlie Car Lioad^ 

OR BY THE 

MILLIOlSr FEET. 

I have Three Mills in operation and manufacture 

LUMBER TO OHDBR. 



All cnquii'ies pi'omptly answered, aiul bills tilled 
that arc accompanied with the CvASII. 

S. S/MXJISTG-ER. 



98 JiDTEBflSEMEmS. 

IS TOUB LIFE INSVBED ? 

If not, deteriiime at once, ask for an Agent, and secure a Policy in the 

Mississippi VALLEY LiPE INSURANCE 

COMPANY, 

OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY. 
JOHN W. FINNEIils Pres't. €. F. FECHTE % Sec'y. 

One Hundred Thousand Dollars deposited with tlie Auditor of Kentucky 
as a .aoneral fund to secure Policy holders. All Policies non-forfei table after 
Onie Premium has been paid. Travel or Residence not restricted. On Re- 
newals thirty days' grace allowed, and Policy held good during that time, 
Dividends annually on contribution plan. All kinds of Life and Endowment, 
Policies issued. Security— unciucstionable. Economy — well demonstrated. 
Prudence— faithfully adhered to. Liberality— justly dealt out to all. 

Referring to the above, having been acting as General Agent for Texas 
the past two years, I can sincf^relj' recommend the MISSISSIPPI YALLEY 
to my friends and citizens of Texas, who are desirous of securing a Life 
Policy. Special, Local and District Agents wanted. Gentlemen of energy, 
ability and resDonsibility can make liberal terais bv applving to or address- 
ing * T« ^s:, co2%r2iL2j2:3xr, 

General Agent for Texas, 
Office Pillot's Building, Houston, Texas. 

R. COTTER & CO., 

76* .„— -MAIN STBEET, 76 

HOUSTON, TEXAS. 

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DRUGGISTS. 

DEALERS IN 

Parofit Medicines of all kinds, and Perfumeries, Soaps, Rrushes, Combs, 
Ac. ,<S:c,; Paints, Oils, Yarnishes, Painters' Biuslies, Dye Stuffs and Glassware 
for Druggists. Agents for Grafton Mineral Paint, the best and cheapest 
Paint now in use, suitable for all outside work, and for painting Railroad 
Cars, Railroad Stations, Houses, etc., etc. Also, agents for Bidwell's Axle 
Grease. Congress and Empire Spring Water always on liand. 

le^Physicians' Prescriptions carefully compounded of the best and purest 
materials. 



AD r£e2\lSBM£Nl%', 



09 



T. J. RILBY^ 










m 


o 



67 & 69 MAIN STREET , 67 & 69 

HOUSTON, TEXAS, 

lias on hand a large assortment of 

COOKING and HEATING STOVES. 

OF THE LATEST AND BEST PATTERNS, 
Which he is prepared to sell at a small advance on Manufacturers prices. 

HARDWABE OF EVERY DESCRIPTION, 

TABLE AND POCKET CUTLERY, 
Castings, Trace Chains, Hames, Collars, Rubber Belt- 
ing*, Packing and Hose, 

WOOD & WILLOW-WARE, 

Furniture of all Kinds^ 

From solid Walnut to Pine. 

CROCKERY AND GLASSWARE IN GREAT VARIETY. 

GAS AND STEAM PIPES CUT TO ORDER. 

Stop Cocks, Valves and Fitting of all sizes. Also, Sole Agent of the J.L 
MOTT Iron Works, for the sale of their STOVES for Houston and vicinity. 

I solicit the attention of dealers to my stock, confident that I can oflbr 
inducements unsurpassed in the gtato. 



loo ^D TER TlSEMEN'i'S. 

A. HARRIS dl FOX^ 

Wholesale Dealers in 

STAPLE AND FANCY 



'9 

Clothintff BootSy Shoes^ Mats 
and Notions, 

Alsv.tyrs Oil hiiml a large and well selected stock, bouijht of Mann fad iirei « 
and Importers direct. Orders promptly attended to. 



(Evans Building.) 

CORNER MAIN AND FRANKLIN STREETS. 

Office in New York with Peake, Opdycke & Co,, No's 427 and 429 Broadway. 



CHRISTINE SCHMIDT LOUIS KOSSE 

SCHMIDT <£ KOSSS^ 

(Successors to E. SCHMIDT & CO.) 

. IMPORTERS OF 

Hardware Cutlery, 

Cruns^ Selting^ 

Circtilar Saws, Wagon Timber^ &€. 

75 - Main Street 75 

Houston, Texas. 



ADVERTISEMENTS, iQl 



AND 



M. L. WESTHEIMER, Proprietor, 
Market Square, Houston, Texas, 

Manufiicturo, also, 

CARRIAGES & BUGGIES OF ALL KINDS. 

Horses Boitglit and Sold, 

CARRIAGES5BUCGIES&SADDLE HORSES FOR HIRE. 

Orders for Weddings, Funerals, Pleasure Parties, Railroad and Steam- 
boats promptly attended to at reasonable charges. 

JAMKS HUOKKR^ 

GENERAL 

Newspaper and AdYertising' [Agent, 

HOUSTON, TEXAS. 

Agent for the 

GALVESTON NEWS,. TEXAS ALMANAC, CHICAGO 
LAND OWNER, &c., &c. 

Subscriptions and Advertisements taken for any Paper in the United Stales. 



All the leading Journals can he had at my Oflico, Mith B. Tufliy & Co,, 66 
Main Street, Iloiiston, Texas. 



102 ADVERTISEMENTS, 

T. H. McMAH AN & Co., 

BANKERS 



Commission Merchants^ 

Corner 22d and Strand Streets, 

aA.L VESTON, TEXAS. 

'^ The Finest Stunulants ICnoivn." 
Free from. Fusel Oil. 



ALBEHT HANFOHD, 

49 Liberty Street^ New Yorkf 

IS SOLE AGENT FOR 

Q S BRAND OF RYE WHISKY 3 Years Old. 

S N " •' •* 6 Years Old. 

Q P •• '• " 12 Years Old. 

HENRY CLAY BRAND BOURBON WHISKY, A 

« 

€ 

>e^ The staiulard of the above Whiskies is uniform, the age only making 
the difference in the price. 

BRANDY— Ilennessy, Martel, Otard, Dupuy & Co., and Pinet. Castillon & 
Co.'s Brandy, in original packages. 

WINES — Port and Sherry Wines, for medical and socinl use. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 103 

G. VIT. HURI^ESY & OO., 

GALVESTON. TEXAS, 

Shipping k Commission Mercliauts, 



AGENTS FOR 



BLACK STAR LINE OF 
P A. O K E T S 



TO 



LIVERPOOL, England, BOSTON and 
NEW YORK. 



DEAN BROS.' 

LIVERPOOL S^LT, 



ANT) THE 



Lotiisiana lioch Salt Comjyany^s Salt. 



l04 . ~ EMf'. ADVERTISEMENTS. 

TEXAS 3IUTUAL LIFE 

Insurance Company, 

69 Twenty Second Street, 69 

GAIA^ESTON, TEXAS. 



AUTHORIZED CAPITAL... , $1 000,000 

C-ASEI CAPITAL PAID UP AND SECURED ^300,000 



Dl RECTORS: 

Jesse Batts, of Batts & Dcau, Galveston. 

B. R. DavL^, of B. R. Davis & Bro., Galveston- 

F. R. Lubbock, of F. R. Lubbock & Son, Galveston. 

J.M.Brown, Presulont First National Bank of Galve.-l.iM. of Ihuwisc;- 
Lanj,', Galveston. 

M. V. Mc3Iaban,of T. 11. McMahan & Co., Galveston. 

J. L. McKeen, of J. L. & A. C. McKeen Sc Co.; Galveston. 

Henry Sampson, Commission Mcrcliant,'^Galvfst<)n. 

A. J. Wanl, of A. J. Ward & Co., Galveston. 

N. B. Yard, of Briggs & Yanl, Galveston. 

E. C. Dewey, Austin. 

T. C. Jordan, Banker, Dallas. 

R. B. Templeman, cfElson &Temj[>lomau, Navasota. 

J. T. Flint, of Flint «fe Chamberlin, Waco. 

Tliis Company, havin;2^ organized in accordance with the Cliarter, granted 
Tiy theLctrislature of this State, in August, 1870, is now prepared to issue 
L.IF£ POIilCIES, and solicits the patronage of the public. 

The Directors are v.tll known in tliis community for their business tact 
and integrity, which is a guar.mteo that tlu^ affair-s of the Company will W 
conducted on a sure and safe basis, so that tli;' interests of those confided t'» 
it will bo well taken care of. 

J. M. BUOWX, President F. R. I.UBROCK, Vice President. 

SAMUEL BOYER DAYIS, Secretary, 
No. GO, 22d Street, Galveston, Texas. 

Major JOHN E. GAREY, General State Agent, 



INDEX 



Page 

Capital and Labor 70 

City of Houston 52 

City of Galveston 16 

Commerce of Texas 32 

Divisions op Texas — 

Central Texas 14 

Eastern Texas , , 13 

Northern Texas , 21 

Western Texas ,.. 18 

Distances— Tables of, 73, 74, 75 

Farming in Texas , 31 

(la)veston, City of , 10 

^ialvestou, Houston & Henderson llailroad 24 

Galveston, Houston & San Antonio Railroad 25 

Gulf, Western Texas & Tacific llailroad 29 

Harris County — 

Buffalo Eayou Lands Co 

Products of Soil , 6(> 

Price of Lands , 67 

Sea Island Cotton .„ ' 67 

Houston, City of ■. 52 

Houston & Texas Central Railroad , 22 

Houston & Great Northern Railroad 25 

Houston Tap & Brazoria Railroad 24 

International Railroad 27 

Immigration— Texas Invites 4 

Lands 45 

Lands for Sale,., 76 

Lumber Market , 60 

New Orleans, Mobile & Chattanooga Railroad 27 

Preface 3 

Railroads— 

Galveston, Houston & Henderson 24 

Galveston, Houston & San Antonio 25 

Gulf, Western Texas & Paciiic , 29 

Houston & Texas Central , 22 

Houston & Great Northern.... 25 

Houston Tap & Brazoria 24 

International , 27 

Nev/ Orleans, Mobile & Chattanooga 27 

Texas Pacific ".... 20 

Trans-Continental 28 

Western Ihanch •.. 24 

Western Narrow Guagc 26 

School Pnnd.. 47 

Society in Texas 68 

State lair 49 

Stock Raising 41 

Texas Invites Immigration..^. 4 

T(^xas Lands .* , 45 

Texas Pacific Railroad 29 

Trans-Continental Railroad 28 

Western Branch Railroad 24 

AVestern Narrow Guago Railroad 26 

Wheat in the Coast Counties 39 



